NBA: 3 West teams experiencing surprising surges this season

Memphis Grizzlies

Ja Morant has emerged into a huge Rookie of the Year candidate, and although Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans is pushing him in the rear as a valiant competitor, the Murray State product could all but put a bow on the award itself by leading a Memphis Grizzlies team that was a lottery squad a year prior to the postseason dance.

Morant has been the emerging difference-maker for a Memphis team that early on in the year seemed destined for a re-emergence into the lottery for a second straight year. After starting the year 6-14 after 20 games, the team has gone 22-12 in their last 44 games led by Morant’s scoring and wizardry from the lead guard position (17.6 PPG, 7.1 APG). Along with Morant has been Memphis’s frontcourt pairing in rookie Brandon Clarke and second-year foundation piece Jaren Jackson Junior.

Clarke’s athleticism has allowed him to be a versatile weapon in the Grizzlies frontcourt (12.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 0.8 BPG, 65% FG.) while Jackson Jr. has made the transition from power forward to center rather productively. Able to stretch the floor from three at a nearly 40 percent clip, Jaren’s ability to protect the rim (1.7 BPG) allows him to be a weapon on two ends of the floor.

The young trio has helped Memphis progress from two lean years of rebuilding into a prominent success story. So while their playoff berth in the Western Conference isn’t fully submitted, they have a chance to progressively build for the future with a successful season that could fully complete the team’s three-year rebuild.