NBA: 3 teams that should still be optimistic despite their slow start

Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies sit at the 9th seed in the Western Conference standings at the moment. The case for the Grizzlies is simple. They’ve had games postponed and have had to play without Ja Morant for an extended period of time. Out of their 17 games played, Ja has missed eight of them.

If your best player and leader misses an extended period of time in this league you’re going to have a tough time getting wins. Here’s an analogy; Ja Morant is to the Memphis Grizzlies as Patrick Mahomes is to the Kansas City Chiefs. Without Mahomes, are the Chiefs in the superbowl? Absolutely not.

They have a young team, with a bunch of guys returning from last year’s squad that was one game away from being the eight seed in the playoffs. When I see them play, I see a team who plays extremely hard and does a lot of little things well. They defend, they rebound, and they have a few guys who can create their shot as well (Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks).

I see them getting into the playoffs in one of them last seeds if they can stay healthy. They are less talented offensively than many other teams, but their attitude and style is conducive to winning games, even against teams that are better than them roster wise.