Following seven consecutive seasons of making the playoffs, the Memphis Grizzlies are in unfamiliar territory with nine games remaining in the 2017-18 NBA season. At 19-54, the Grizzlies currently have the second-worst record in the entire league after losing 22 of their last 23 games.

Coming off a 61-point loss to the Charlotte Hornets, Memphis battled the Los Angeles Lakers, but ultimately fell short, 100-93. After the game, Marc Gasol was asked if the team is ready for the upcoming offseason according to Grizzlies:

No. We’ve still got nine games left to play. I believe it’s three at home. You want to go into the offseason with a different feeling. You want to have at least a baseline and understanding of what you’re trying to do, what you’re trying to accomplish as a team and what’s the meaning of you. You cannot go into the offseason with a sense of not knowing what’s expected of you and what you should do as a player. You have nine games now to try and understand what your role is. I know it’s hard and we really have it now. There’s days where we look much better and days that we’re barely recognizable. We knew this was a possibility that it was going to get really hard. It’s not time to quit. You’ve got to continue to keep pushing and whoever doesn’t want to push at the same time can step to the side and take a seat and watch. We owe it to these fans that have been truly supportive all year through all this. It’s hard to believe but they’ve been very, very supportive.

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Throughout Gasol's career, he has been a winner and the consummate professional, but this year has tested his patience. While there have been moments of frustration for the 33-year-old, he has set the tone for the final stretch of the season for his young teammates and fans.

Heading into the offseason, all the attention will be on Gasol's future in Memphis. Although there are numerous reasons for this lottery-bound season such as Mike Conley only playing 12 games, it will be important for Gasol and the franchise to discuss their goals once the season is officially over.