Memphis Grizzlies: Will the team hold on to the 8th seed in the West?
By Nick Alvarez
Will the Memphis Grizzlies hold on to the 8th seed?
The Memphis Grizzlies have been one of the most surprising teams in the NBA this season. Headlined by the second pick in last year’s NBA Draft Ja Morant and 4th overall pick in 2018 Jaren Jackson Jr., this young Grizzlies team shocked the NBA.
Lead by new head coach Taylor Jenkins, this Grizzlies team went from a team projected to miss the playoffs this season to holding steady in the 8th seed of the West as the season is set to resume in a matter of days.
Despite all the success of the season so far, the Grizzlies are being overshadowed by fellow Western Conference teams contending for the 8th seed. Many people in NBA circles are looking to the New Orleans Pelicans who also have an abundance of talent lead by this year’s first overall pick in Zion Williamson who has one of the easiest projected schedules in the seeding games.
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Others are looking at the Damian Lillard-led Portland Trail Blazers who in their scrimmage games look to possess new life with the return of key frontcourt players Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins. Gone by the wayside is Memphis, a team who out preformed both the Trail Blazers and Pelicans when games were last played.
The Grizzlies, however, after a slow ramp-up showed in their stint of scrimmage games that they will not go out without a fight and that they’re looking to hold onto the final Western Conference Playoff spot even if newly acquired forward Justise Winslow isn’t healthy at the moment.
Why the Memphis Grizzlies are dangerous
The Grizzlies did go 1-2 in their three scrimmage games, but they improved over the course of each game. They used these games to shake off their rust, get back to the things they’re best at, and account for losing Winslow.
Starting off their scrimmage series, the team faced a hungry Philadelphia 76ers team who is playing a new-look lineup, and the Grizzlies while rusty played a competitive game. A 90-83 loss, Ja Morant was very rusty only scoring seven points in 27 minutes, but his co-stars Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas showed up and competed when it mattered.
The Grizzlies’ first scrimmage showed that the team was still committed to their hallmarks, rebounding, and ball movement. The team that was 6th in rebounding in the regular season and 2nd in assists per game showed those traits matching the 76ers in rebounding and getting 24 assists in the shortened scrimmage game.
Memphis then improved in their next game against the Houston Rockets, though still losing the high scoring affair 119-104, the Grizzles played much better as a unit and Ja Morant came out and scored 17 points to go with nine assists. The only thing that held Memphis back was their 3-point shooting only making eight 3-pointers to Houston’s 22 because the young team was still getting its grove back.
It all finally came together in the team’s final scrimmage a 128-110 18-point blowout against the Miami Heat, showcasing how dangerous the Grizzlies are. Ja Morant fully back in form had a 22-point, 12-assist double-double while shooting guard Dillon Brooks emerged for 23 points.
Again focused on rebounding and ball-movement, the Grizzlies showed their strategy of play works especially when the team’s best three-point shooters fully shake off their early game misses as well.
To make matters even better, Taylor Jenkins and his staff had perfectly devised a plan of platooning forwards Kyle Anderson, Brandon Clarke, and Josh Jackson to account for the loss of Winslow and team has shown that it shouldn’t miss a beat without him in the fold.
Why the Memphis Grizzlies should be favored to earn the 8th seed
Despite the rust that the team showed early on, they quickly rounded back into form and used each scrimmage game as a way to do so. In doing so, the Memphis Grizzles showed why they should still be the favorite for the 8th seed, which is their smart style of basketball.
The Grizzlies play with a focus on rebounding making sure they don’t give their opponents extra possessions while also trying to get more possessions for themselves. They also combine that with a play style that puts emphasis on ball-movement and finding the best shot for the team. This is a play style that teams like New Orleans or Portland simply don’t use as well as Memphis does.
Beyond the smart style of basketball Memphis plays, look at their schedule. The team’s first four seeding games are against the Trail Blazers, Spurs, Pelicans, and Jazz. That means the Grizzlies will have the opportunity to beat and advanced past the Blazers and Pelicans who are their realistic contenders for the 8th seed while also getting to play the Spurs and Jazz who are teams that both lost very important players to the NBA’s opt-out clause.
All that before even mentioning that even if the Trail Blazers or Pelicans or any other team could make it up to the 9th seed and be close to Memphis at the 8th seed, there would still be a play-in tournament that is designed to benefit the team that is in the 8th seed at the time.
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It’s time for everyone to stop overlooking just how tough this Grizzlies team is; they are a team that doesn’t want to give up the 8th seed and with their style of play and schedule ahead it seems unlikely that they will.