The Memphis Grizzlies enter Wednesday's matchup against the lowly Detroit Pistons sporting the second-worst record in the Western Conference.
Season-long injury absences of stalwart starting center Steven Adams and electric third big Brandon Clarke have completely rid the Grizzlies' of the identity they built up over the past couple years, exacerbating the impact of Ja Morant's 25-game suspension to begin 2023-24. Even the players who have been available over the first month and-a-half of the regular season haven't avoided health woes. Key rotation guards Marcus Smart and Luke Kennard will remain out on Wednesday, as will sophomore wing Jake LaRavia.
Needless to say, Memphis' start to the season didn't exactly go as planned. It's been so bad, in fact, that both Lou Williams and Danny Green are effectively writing the Grizzlies off for its remainder.
“They're done. This season is a wrap. This one is a wash,” Williams said Wednesday on Run It Back. “They're selling $4 tickets down in Memphis.”
"Do we hit the panic button on this Grizzlies squad?" @MichelleDBeadle
"They're done. This season is a wrap…They're selling $4 tickets down in Memphis." @TeamLou23
"I think we hit the reset button." @DGreen_14
Is there any hope left for the Memphis Grizzlies? pic.twitter.com/Ryp546Ldhh
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) December 6, 2023
Green, who spent part of last season mostly rehabbing in Memphis before getting moved at the trade deadline, was a bit more diplomatic with his assessment of the Grizzlies' chances to right the ship. Still, he couldn't help but admit this season is a “wash” for his former team.
“I think we hit the reset button, because I think they have the pieces they're just not healthy. Steven Adams, Brandon Clarke, Ja has been out 25 games. Those three guys make a huge difference,” Green said. “I do think they lack some wing depth or I guess some experience, because they have [Zaire Williams] and David Roddy, who are young I just don't think they're ready yet…For this season, I think they kinda call it a wash. They need a reset and refresh.”
Any hope for Grizzlies upon Ja Morant's return?
Morant is eligible to play for the first time this season on December 19th against the New Orleans Pelicans. Full health provided, a luxury that's been hard to come by for Memphis' franchise player through the first four years of his career, Morant will have 57 games to help lift the Grizzlies out of the Western Conference cellar. Williams isn't counting on it happening.
“They're second-to-last in the West and the West is nothing to play with right now,” he said. “It's about eight teams that's gonna give you headaches, so trying to fight uphill for that when Ja comes back? This team is done.”
Memphis certainly has a long path back to relevancy in the Western Conference. Taylor Jenkins' team has quietly played better of late after a truly disastrous first two weeks of the season, going 4-6 in its last 10 games while sporting the league's 10th-best defense over that timeframe.
Considering Smart and Kennard missed the majority of those games, that's a result the Grizzlies can certainly live with while eagerly awaiting Morant's debut. Both players could be back in the lineup by December 19th, too.
No one is expecting Memphis to seriously contend in the West this season down Adams and Clarke. But the Grizzlies don't need to vault to eighth in the conference standings to potentially make the playoffs with the play-in tournament in place. They're currently four games behind the 10th-place Houston Rockets, with Morant's presence and, fingers crossed, surely more fortunate health luck to come as the 82-game grind continues.
Is it really inconceivable Memphis could compete for one of the last two play-in berths if Morant plays at an All-NBA level and key contributors like Smart and Kennard are mostly able to stay on the floor? No way, but the Grizzlies' margin for error gets smaller and smaller with every loss. A defeat on Wednesday to the Pistons, losers of a whopping 17 straight games, wouldn't just push Memphis further down the standings, but perhaps erase any remaining belief this team has in its prospects going forward.
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