The Memphis Grizzlies are a young team that seems like it is on the verge of greatness. Ja Morant and company ended a three-year playoff drought in 2021 and in 2022, won the franchise’s first playoff series since 2017. That ahead-of-schedule finish for a young Memphis team has fans excited and thinking of a Grizzlies championship in the future. Unfortunately for the Memphis faithful, a Grizzlies NBA Finals appearance is probably not in the cards at the end of this season. Here are three reasons why the Grizzlies won't make the 2023 NBA Finals or win an NBA championship this season.

3. Jaren Jackson Jr.’s injury

At 23, Jaren Jackson Jr. is one of the most promising young big men in the NBA. The 2018 No. 4 overall draft pick averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, and led the league with 2.3 blocks per game last season.

Jackson is one of the most crucial pieces for a Grizzlies championship.

However, the team got terrible Jaren Jackson Jr. injury news this summer. The 6-foot-11 forward had surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot. The recovery period was estimated at four to six months, putting Jackson out for the beginning of the season and possibly until the new year.

Head coach Taylor Jenkins recently said at media day that the prognosis is the same three months after the initial announcement. However, given Jackson’s age, injury history, and the nature of the foot injury, the team will (smartly) take an incredibly cautious approach to bringing him back.

If the Grizzlies have any chance of making the 2023 NBA Finals, Jackson has to be fully healthy and playing at a high level. Following that type of stress fracture and surgery, it’s hard to imagine that the former Michigan State Spartan will be back to his 27.3 minutes per game workload this season.

The 2022-23 campaign might be a lost one for Jackson, and that’s OK in the long run. That said, it’s not good news for the Grizzlies’ championship hopes this season.

2. Ja Morant isn’t ready to win a Grizzlies championship on his own

Even with Jaren Jackson Jr. fit and in fighting shape this year, one thing that last season’s playoff loss to the Golden State Warriors proved is that Ja Morant can’t do it all himself.

Morant was incredible last postseason. He averaged 27.1 points, 2.0 steals, 8.0 rebounds, and led the NBA Playoffs with 9.8 assists per game. However, when Morant went down with a knee injury, the Grizz gave a valiant effort but truly had no chance vs. Golden State.

No NBA team has won an NBA championship without two legitimate superstars since the 2004 Detroit Pistons, and they had an incredible core of veterans. Before that, you have to go back to the 1979 Seattle Supersonics to find a championship team with an incredibly dynamic duo (or trio).

Who is the Robin to Ja Morant’s Batman?

The vets on the 2022-23 team — Steven Adams, Tyus Jones, Danny Green, and Dillon Brooks — are all excellent pieces, but they aren’t that guy. Youngsters Brandon Clarke and Xavier Tillman aren’t it either.

Could Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, or Ziaire Williams eventually be that guy? With Jackson’s injury, Bane’s size limitations, and Williams’ inexperience will they become “the guy” this season and help lead a Grizzlies NBA Finals run? Probably not.

The Grizz do have enough ammunition to make a big mid-season trade, but as is, the 2023 NBA Finals are likely out of reach.

1. It’s not the Grizzlies' time yet

The comps for the 2022-23 Memphis Grizzlies are the Warriors ten years ago and last season’s Boston Celtics. Both these teams had young cores that made noise in the playoffs and then either won an NBA title or made the NBA Finals shortly afterward.

The 2022-23 Grizzlies aren’t quite at the second stage of this process yet.

For the Warriors, a trip to the second round and a series giving the San Antonio Spurs all they could handle in 2013 didn’t lead directly to the first Golden State championship. What many fans don’t remember is that the 2013-14 Warriors lost in the first-round exit next season at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers.

As for the Boston Celtics, it took Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart five trips to the postseason to make it to the Finals. Along the way, they made it to the Eastern Conference Finals twice and the semifinals once.

Memphis hasn’t had its second successful season hangover or its five-year grind to get to the top yet. NBA history tells us that the chances are the franchise will need to go through something similar before a Grizzlies championship.

That, combined with the reasons above, is why a Grizzlies NBA Finals trip in 2023 is probably a pipe dream.