Subscribe
Follow Us
The Memphis Grizzlies appear poised to make another deep playoff run this season. After falling apart due to injuries down the stretch of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, the Grizzlies believe that if they can stay healthy throughout the season, they are the best team in the Western Conference.
The problem is that the Grizzlies have started the season off shorthanded. Key players such as Dillon Brooks and Jaren Jackson Jr. have yet to suit up for the team yet, with Jackson net set to return for quite some time. Still, that didn't stop the Grizzlies from winning their first two games of the season before getting blown out by the Dallas Mavericks for their first loss of the season.
There's still a lot we don't know about this Grizzlies team considering the fact they are without some of their key players. Still, that won't stop people from coming up with some hot takes for the Grizzlies based on their first three games of the season. Let's take a look at three such hot takes for Memphis and see why these scorching takes could be reasonable after all.
3. Dillon Brooks is the Grizzlies second best player
It's clear that Ja Morant is the best player on the Grizzlies. But after him, the debate gets murkier. Jackson is a dynamic two-way player, but he can't seem to stay on the court consistently. Desmond Bane took a huge step forward last season, but he's had a horrible start to the season (more on that in a minute). It's only three games, and he hasn't even played, but it's becoming clear that Dillon Brooks is the Grizzlies second best player.
Memphis has struggled to find any sort of offensive production alongside Morant in the early going, partly because Brooks is out. Brooks has never been the most efficient scorer throughout his career, but he's always been able to take the pressure off of Morant when teams close in on him.
It's not surprising that the Grizzlies weren't competitive against the Mavericks without Brooks present. The Mavs simply focused all of their attention on Morant, and nobody else was able to step up and help him. Without Brooks, the Grizzlies are missing that secondary scoring element, which makes him their second best player behind Morant.
2. Desmond Bane has been the Grizzlies worst player through three games
Desmond Bane was phenomenal for the Grizzlies last season, and it resulted in Morant giving Bane the Most Improved Player award that he won because he thought Bane was more deserving of it than him. Through three games, though, Bane has been awful to say the least, and he is going to have to figure things out soon, especially given Memphis' current injury woes.
Bane is averaging 14.7 points per game, but he's been horribly inefficient from the field so far. He's shooting a hideous 26.5 percent from the field, with his 28.6 percentage on threes somehow qualifying as an improvement. Bane's effective field goal percentage of just 34.7 percent sums up how poor Bane's shooting has been to start the season.
Bane has improved as a passer and rebounder early, but his inability to score is killing the Grizzlies offense. Even though Memphis has won two games, their loss to the Mavericks by 41 points is something to be very concerned about. Through three games, Bane has easily been the Grizzlies worst player on the court, and it isn't particularly close.
1. Ja Morant will finish the season averaging over 30 points per game
Through three games, Ja Morant has been unbelievable for the Grizzlies. He led them to an overtime victory over the New York Knicks before dropping 49 on the Houston Rockets to ensure Memphis wouldn't slip up there. The bulk of the team's offensive production falls on his shoulders, and aside from the game against the Mavericks, he's delivered so far.
Morant is going to have to continue to lead from the front for the Grizzlies, even when Brooks and Jackson return. Morant is averaging 34.3 points per game in the early going, and while that is likely unsustainable, he's going to have to continue scoring in bunches if Memphis intends on staying alive. His shooting percentages will come back down to earth eventually (54.8 FG%, 57.1 3p%) but Morant's volume of shots will likely go up over time.
Morant seems more than capable of making the leap into the 30 point per game scoring club this season, especially if the Grizzlies continue to deal with injuries. He is the go-to guy for the Grizzlies, and even when teams try to stop him, they rarely have much success. Morant could end up leading the league in scoring in this season, but it seems like a safe bet to peg him as a 30 point per game scorer.
