The Memphis Grizzlies are officially entering a new era in the 2019-20 season. Gone are long-time servants Mark Gasol and Mike Conley, with the team now focusing on youth and looking towards a potentially bright future ahead of them.
The Grizzlies are not expected to be competitive in the upcoming season, as they continue the rebuild phase of their organization. Nevertheless, it will still be an intriguing campaign for a Memphis team now looking to establish its new identity in the league.
There will be no shortage of intriguing narratives for the Grizzlies this coming season, and below we have three storylines that will likely stand out as the year unfolds for this new-look Memphis side.
Ja Morant
There is no doubt that the biggest storyline that will hog the headlines for majority of the season will be that of Ja Morant. The Grizzlies added an absolute gem in the 6-foot-3 point guard, who averaged an astounding 24.5 points (on 49.9 percent shooting), 5.7 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks as a sophomore for Murray State last season.
Morant was amazing all year long, and his tremendous play catapulted him to the top of what is a talent-packed draft class. Surprisingly, Morant was not one of the top recruits prior to his breakout campaign, but he certainly made the basketball world take notice.
The good news for Morant is that he happened to be in the same class with the phenom, Zion Williamson. Morant could have easily gone first overall in any other draft, but Zion's upside is too high not to warrant a consensus first overall pick. For Morant, though, this will allow him to work (relatively) under the radar, with most of the spotlight on Williamson.
The Grizzlies are adamant that they have their point guard and cornerstone superstar of the future in Morant, and his rookie campaign should serve as a preview of what to expect for the foreseeable future.
A.I.
In July, the Grizzlies traded for Andre Iguodala from the Golden State Warriors. This deal came with cash considerations and a valuable 2024 first-round pick, which proved to be enough for Memphis to take on the 35-year-old veteran's $17.1 million salary for the upcoming season.
On the onset, the general belief was that this was nothing more than a forward-looking deal for the Grizzlies, and that they had every intention of waiving Iguodala as soon as they possibly could, thereby allowing the three-time NBA champ to potentially sign with a contender.
The plan seems to have shifted for Memphis, though, with the team now reportedly looking to include Iguodala in their lineup for the upcoming campaign. We're not exactly sure what the Grizzlies front office want to do here, as Iguodala does not fit the bill for a team looking to focus on youth development. Then again, the former Finals MVP's wealth of knowledge should definitely go a long way in helping in the development of the team's young core. However, whether or not A.I. is willing to suit up for Memphis at this point in his career is an altogether different question.
The Frontcourt
Following the logic above, it can also be said that the summer signing of Jonas Valanciunas to a three-year, $45 million deal is another curious move by the Grizzlies front office. The 27-year-old caught fire in Memphis last season following a mid-season trade from the Toronto Raptors, putting out career-best marks in scoring (19.9 points), rebounds (10.7), assists (2.2), and blocks (1.6) in 19 appearances for Memphis. Nonetheless, Valanciunas is not exactly young, and the Grizzlies have committed a significant part of their salary cap to the former fifth overall pick, so it will be interesting to see how things play out here. Do the Grizzlies see Valanciunas as their long-term option at the five, or is he going to turn out to be a valuable trading piece that will allow Memphis to acquire additional assets for the future?
Talking about the future, we will also need to discuss Valanciunas' frontcourt partner in Jaren Jackson Jr. In his rookie campaign last season, the 6-foot-11 power forward averaged 13.8 points (on 50.6 percent shooting), 4.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.4 blocks in 26.1 minutes per contest. The 20-year-old has a ton of potential, and he is definitely an integral part of Memphis' young nucleus. It will be interesting to see if Jackson is able to break through the dreaded sophomore slump, and in the process elevate his game to rising star category.
Again, it's going to be a tough season ahead for the Grizzlies. We have to be realistic at this point, and accept the fact that despite all the promise, Memphis will still likely struggle to log 30 wins in 2019-20. Nonetheless, this new campaign will mark the start of the next phase for the Grizzlies, and surely, there will be a lot of buzz surrounding the team this coming season.
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