The Memphis Grizzlies are rolling right now. Ja Morant did not play, but they secured their eighth straight victory with a resounding 123-108 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.

Morant and the Grizzlies are now 27-14 on the season and don't have competition for the fourth seed in the Western Conference as of the moment. After starting out the season 9-10, Memphis has gone 17-4.

Despite holding the fifth best record across the entire NBA, the Grizzlies still have the 15th best odds to win the 2021-22 NBA championship. Sure, they could eventually cement themselves as legitimate title contenders in the near future, especially with a budding superstar in Ja Morant leading the way. But in the present, as good as they've been, it's hard to envision Memphis lifting up the Larry O by this season's end.

Click here for the Memphis Grizzlies' NBA title odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

Nonetheless, anything can happen in the NBA. The Grizzlies are good. They've had the third best defense and second best net rating since post-Christmas, per NBA.com. If the chips fall in their favor, they could have a puncher's chance of just shocking the world in the playoffs.

With that said, here are three reasons why Ja Morant and the Grizzlies are dark horse contenders for the 2021-22 NBA championship.

Three Reasons Ja Morant, Grizzlies Are Dark Horse NBA Title Contenders

3. Ja Morant is a superstar

The NBA is a superstar league. Title-hopefuls typically have at least one leading the team. The Grizzlies have a budding one in third-year point guard Ja Morant.

Morant has undoubtedly cemented himself as an All-Star. He should be a lock to make his debut in the February special this year in Cleveland. The former Murray State star has had multiple standout games this season, including eight 30-point games and two 40-point outbursts.

One of the signs a player is breaking out into superstardom is his ability to go toe-to-toe with some of the league's best. Morant has had several such games this season. He had a signature one just over a week ago when he dropped 41 points, 10 assists and drained six 3-pointers in a massive 104-99 come from behind win over LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The kid is fearless and confident in himself and his team. Sometimes, this confidence is what separates a superstar from a star. Morant definitely possesses a lot of that.

2. Great supporting cast

As great as Morant is, the Grizzlies are also well-built around their franchise star. They have a solid supporting cast, beginning with also a budding high-upside stud in Jaren Jackson Jr. They also found a gem in sophomore guard Desmond Bane in last year's draft. And then they have guys such as Dillon Brooks, Steven Adams, De'Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson bringing that similar toughness and energy Grizzlies fans saw from the Grit and Grind era.

A good sign that Memphis has a sound supporting cast around Morant is that they've managed to keep winning even if he isn't available. In games without the 22-year old, Memphis has gone 11-2, including Saturday's win over the Clippers. This stretch also included an NBA-record 73-point win over the Oklahoma City Thunder and two separate five-game winning streaks.

1. They are beating good teams

Another good sign that a team is turning the corner is their ability to beat the better teams in the NBA. On the season, Memphis has gone 13-5 against teams over .500. In fact, they've beaten the four teams which have better records than they do as of this moment.

They took down the Brooklyn Nets earlier this week, squeezed out a one-point win over the Phoenix Suns a couple days after Christmas, defeated the Utah Jazz on the road in November, and handed the Golden State Warriors their first loss of the campaign earlier this 2021-22.

The Grizzlies may be a young squad, but they are proving that they are capable of, not just hanging around with some of the elite teams in the league but also beating them in pretty convincing fashion as well.