The Memphis Grizzlies had a lot of positive things happen to them last year as Ja Morant was named the 2019-20 Rookie of the Year and they were on the verge of making the playoffs in a year where they were picked to finish near the bottom of the league.
Morant and second-year rising star, Jaren Jackson Jr. were fantastic together last season and even though Jackson went down with a torn meniscus during the seeding games in the NBA Bubble, Morant carried the team to a play-in game in the Western Conference Playoffs, where they ultimately fell to the Portland Trail Blazers.
Last season proved to the entire Grizzlies organization that they are well ahead of schedule on their rebuild process and thanks in large part to Ja Morant, who has the makings of an NBA superstar as he continues to grow. Going back to Jaren Jackson Jr, he is expected to miss the start of the 2020-21 NBA campaign as he continues to recover from the torn meniscus, meaning Ja Morant will have to step up even more for Memphis at the start of the season. Justise Winslow is also expected to miss the start of the season due to a hip injury he suffered in practice in July.
Entering the 2020-21 NBA season, the Grizzlies will once again be one of the league’s youngest teams as when fully healthy, their starting lineup’s average age is 23.4 years old. They have plenty of young players with a lot of potential as they continue to grow and this Memphis Grizzlies team could be a force in the Western Conference for years to come.
While things look bright for the future of the Grizzlies, what about now? Are they a legit playoff threat in the Western Conference and can they make the playoffs for the first time in three-years?
Ja Morant will answer a lot of these questions early on in the year for Memphis as they will go as far as he can take them. He is the leading force of this young team and their success hinders on his abilities to elevate his game to an All-Star type level.
As a result, here are 4 bold predictions for the Memphis Grizzlies heading into the 2020-21 NBA season.
