The Memphis Grizzlies took a huge leap in their regular season record last season. They notched the second seed in the Western Conference. A huge drawback to their run was the absolute decimation they got with the Los Angeles Lakers. LeBron James and Anthony Davis made light work of the Ja Morant-led squad. The team, despite the additions of Marcus Smart and Derrick Rose, does not look like a threat in the eyes of fans. Kendrick Perkins further echoed this sentiment in his latest statement, via NBA on ESPN.

“I got them in the play-in tournament because the West is so stacked,” was the bold prediction Kendrick Perkins dropped for the Grizzlies season.

He went into further detail about why the team needs to step up amid Ja Morant's suspension, “If the Memphis Grizzlies can stay around .500 or 1 or 2 games above .500 during Ja's 25-game suspension, they'll be in great shape when he returns.”

They did have some key acquisitions in the squad but it remains a question whether these are sufficient. The Lakers added a bunch of depth to their squad. Star-level talent was added to the Golden State Warriors when they got Chris Paul. Devin Booker and Kevin Durant now have Bradley Beal at their disposal as a scoring option.

Marcus Smart and Derrick Rose can only go a long way for this Grizzlies squad which had a high ceiling last year. Will they be able to surpass expectations and have a better record than what Perk is predicting?