Memphis Grizzlies: 5 reasons why it isn’t time to panic just yet
By John Nassif
Despite a 2-5 post-All-Star stretch, the Memphis Grizzlies are still in an ideal territory and I can only implore fans to avoid the proverbial panic button
One can only assume Kanye West’s “No More Parties in L.A.” was blaring as the Memphis Grizzlies returned from a tumultuous road trip following the All-Star Break.
The Grizzlies went into the break riding high; having three players voted into the Rising Stars Game, Ja Morant seemingly dunking and running away with the Rookie of the Year award, clicking on all cylinders, and playing their way into being the darling of the NBA. They even had a four-game lead on the 8th seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
As we all know, what comes up, must come down. Memphis knew the struggles that lied ahead in the home-stretch of their season. Most season projections had them missing the playoffs to either the New Orleans Pelicans or Portland Trail Blazers and they faced the consensus most difficult remaining schedule across the league.
However, even the most optimistic Grizzlies fan could not have predicted the extent of how dreadful the past two weeks unfolded. If dropping two games to the Sacramento Kings wasn’t bad enough, they also had three straight games against the Lakers, Clippers, and Rockets (on national television) in which they never even held the lead.
Add to that conundrum injuries to two of their most productive players in Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Clarke, and the outlook for this season isn’t nearly as bright as it was merely two weeks ago. But have things changed for the better over the past few days? If holding the Lakers and Hawks to 88 points in back-to-back wins isn’t enough, here are five reasons why the franchise and Grizzlies fans should avoid the panic button.