The Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies find themselves in a heated Western Conference Semi-Finals battle. The former of those teams was expected to be there before the season began. The latter would have just been happy to get to this point based on preseason expectations from outside observers.

And yet it's the Grizzlies who came in as the higher seed and equally legitimate aspirations to come out of the West. They were the surprise contender of the regular season, outperforming any and all projections placed upon them before the season began.

While a large part of that has to do with the MVP-level rise of point guard Ja Morant, the success of the team was a combination of savvy moves that comprise the entire makeup of the roster.

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There's a lot of credit to be doled out in Memphis, but one man who deserves a good chunk of it was team general manager Zach Kleiman. The Grizzlies exec was named the NBA Basketball Executive of the Year, as voted for by his peers.

The Grizzlies have thrived as a small market team, finding gems late in the draft and acquiring veterans that fit into their culture. Thanks in large part to Zach Kleiman and a little bit of luck from the lottery gods in landing Ja Morant, Memphis looks to be a serious threat in the West for years to come.