Young teams often find some success in the NBA, but it is tough to sustain it due to inexperience. The Memphis Grizzlies are the second-youngest team in the NBA this season, yet they are 22-14 and widen the gap between them and the 5-seed in the Western Conference.
All the talk is about the Suns, Warriors, and Jazz at the top of the Western Conference standings this season, but silently in the 4-seed slot right now are the Grizzlies, and they have been playing with a chip on their shoulders all year long.
Bears usually hibernate around this time of the year, but not these Grizzlies! Memphis has now won 13 of their last 17 games, with their most recent victory coming on Wednesday night against the Lakers.
LeBron James was looking for an early birthday present by beating Memphis on the road, as ‘The King’ turns 37-years-old on Thursday, but Ja Morant and the Grizzlies were not having it. Trailing by as many as 14 points in the third quarter, Memphis outscored the Lakers 26-16 in the fourth quarter to escape the Lakers with a 104-99 victory.
Ja Morant was spectacular in this game for Memphis, and while they were missing Dillon Brooks, this team once again found a way to win with their depth. The third-year point guard went for a season-high 41 points, including a career-high six made three-pointers, four of which came in the second half. Morant also collected ten rebounds, marking his second double-double of the season.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: NBA Film Room: How Grizzlies Kept Winning Without Ja Morant
Scoring 11 of his team’s final 15 points, Ja Morant put his team on his back and was able to will his team to victory like a multi-year veteran. “What an unbelievable night by Ja,” Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said following the game. “When he got going, it kind of fueled everyone else. We’ve said it from Day 1, he’s built for moments like this.”
Aside from his outstanding offensive performance, Morant also got things done on the defensive end of the floor with two steals, two blocks, and actively moving around the perimeter to limit the Lakers’ three-point shooting opportunities.
The Memphis Grizzlies have had to deal with guys being in and out of the lineup all season long, but it has not mattered. Morant missed 12 games earlier this season with a knee injury, yet the Grizzlies went 10-2 without him, and now they have won three straight games without Dillon Brooks, who is in the league’s health and safety protocols.
Desmond Bane has been a revelation in his second season, currently averaging 17.3 points per game, but the Grizzlies’ story has been that they do not quit and that they are one of the most balanced offensive teams in the league.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: NBA Film Room: How Grizzlies Kept Winning Without Ja Morant
This season, five different players are averaging at least 10 points per game for Memphis. While they are not averaging double-digit scoring numbers, Kyle Anderson, Tyus Jones, and Brandon Clarke have been critical secondary contributors.
You could argue that this team’s inexperience will wind up hurting them deeper into the season, especially in the playoffs, but this is an “old, young” team in Memphis.
They may only have three players on their roster with at least six years of NBA playing experience. Still, they won two games in the play-in tournament to claim the 8-seed last season, they won a game on the road in the playoffs last year against the Jazz, and they have done something no other team in the league has done this season.
Memphis is the only team in the NBA to have beaten both the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors, and better yet, they beat them both on the road. The Grizzlies have also won against the Utah Jazz, Denver Nuggets, and Los Angeles Clippers, making them 7-2 against teams with a winning record in the Western Conference.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: NBA Film Room: How Grizzlies Kept Winning Without Ja Morant
Stop sleeping on the Memphis Grizzlies because this team has a chance to be remarkable. Ja Morant is playing at an All-Star level, and with a tremendous amount of depth around him, the Grizzlies could finish as a Top-4 team in the Western Conference this season and possibly make it out of the first round of the playoffs.
