Memphis Grizzlies: With Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., the future is bright

With two franchise cornerstones in place, in Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., the Memphis Grizzlies have a bright future

The ‘Grit and Grind’ era, despite lacking the hardware, was iconic. Everyone knew who the Memphis Grizzlies were and what they were about.

Spearheaded by head coach Dave Joerger, the Grizzlies refused to adhere to what was expected of a typical 2010s NBA offense, largely sacrificing the 3-point shot in exchange for bruising play down low.

Mike Conley ran the show out top, largely playing facilitator to the two behemoths down on the block. Those behemoths – 7-foot-1 Marc Gasol and 6-foot-9, 260-pound Zach Randolph – typically played off of one another within the post. Gasol would play higher, operating as a secondary playmaker to Conley while boasting the touch of a short mid-range jumper. Randolph would be the deeper of the two, using his overwhelming strength and polished post-game to score right at the cup.

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With three 50-win seasons and a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2012-13, it’s safe to say the system largely worked. But as father time did its thing and NBA offenses continued to evolve, the Grit and Grind era slowly faltered into mediocrity.

On June 19, Conley was traded to the Utah Jazz, unofficially spelling the end of the ‘Grit and Grind’ era. It was a waving of the white flag by an organization that had outperformed expectations and continued to attempt to remain competitive for years on end.

And while a painful day for the Grizzlies faithful, it marked the start of a new era at FedEx Forum.

Well, sort of.

While there are new faces across every facet of the organization, remnants of ‘grit and grind’ remain. Sure, the offense is much more uptempo these days, catalyzed by the electrifying Ja Morant and second-year big man Jaren Jackson Jr. – but there’s a toughness that still resides in Tennessee. By simply scanning through the roster, it’s easy to see why they remain so hard-nosed.

It’s the likes of Jae Crowder, Jonas Valanciunas, and Dillon Brooks. With all due respect, these aren’t players that necessarily move the needle one way or the other – but what they are is tough. Guys who play hard, play the right way and put the team first.

Surrounding Morant and Jackson Jr. with capable veterans like Crowder and Valanciunas will only accelerate the development of Memphis’ two young stars. The Grizzlies are certainly a year or two away from playoff contention at the very least, but remaining competitive will provide the duo with experience in playing games that *somewhat* mean something.

As Morant and Jackson Jr. continue to grow as players and leaders, so too will first-year head coach Taylor Jenkins. A former assistant under Mike Budenholzer, Jenkins has the Grizzlies playing at the sixth-highest pace in the league, utilizing his young guns to get out and run.

That pace is why the Grizzlies are off to a 5-8 start. Currently, 26th in offensive rating and 25th in defensive rating, playing fast and getting a bunch of shots up is making up for their deficiencies elsewhere.

It’s clear to see Jenkins has the Grizz playing the right way from the eye test – and the numbers back it up. Memphis are fourth in assist percentage across the league at 64.1 percent, showing a commitment to sharing the ball and playing with trust.

The lack of chatter around Morant, Jackson Jr., and the up and coming Grizzlies is befuddling. The talent and youth are there in abundance, and the foundations to become a Western Conference powerhouse in the next decade are well and truly in place.

Morant has shown himself to be the lead guy for Memphis early in the season, leading the Grizzlies in scoring and assists. He leads all rookies in scoring at 18.4 per game as well as in assists, averaging six per game. Morant is doing so while being extremely efficient from the field, shooting 47 percent overall and 42 percent from 3-point range.

Jackson Jr.’s start to the season has been up and down, but his numbers remain superb. The second-year big man is averaging 14.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and one block per game while shooting 47 percent from the field and 38 percent from behind the arc.

Impressively, Jackson Jr. has ticked his three-point percentage up by two percent or so from a year ago, despite this year attempting two more per game (2.4 attempts per game in 2018-19, 4.4 attempts per game this season). While still a small sample size, Jackson Jr.’s ability to knock down the 3-ball with consistency will only help to improve his fit alongside Morant long-term.

Memphis have capable youth elsewhere, too. Dillon Brooks has shown himself to be a tough wing on both sides of the ball, and Brandon Clarke looks to be the steal of this past year’s draft.

The Grizzlies, as currently constructed, boast tremendous upside, and could very well be coming for the Western Conference’s summit in a few years’ time. With two franchise cornerstones and cap flexibility moving forward, Memphis’ situation couldn’t be much better.