7. Memphis Grizzlies
After an up-and-down season, I’m not really quite sure what to expect from the Memphis Grizzlies heading into this year. They do have two of the more underrated players in the league, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., and Ja Morant continuing to lead the way. On paper, the Grizzlies should find themselves near the top of the Western Conference standings once again. Add in the fact that they essentially swapped Dillon Brooks for Marcus Smart and there’s reason to believe that the Grizzlies will be improved this season.
That said, if Memphis is going to take a step forward this year, they’re going to have to survive the first few weeks of the season without Morant. He’s suspended for the first 25 games and should be on track to make his season debut at some point in December. But if the Grizzlies can hang around the top of the West with Morant out, they should be just fine.
The Grizzlies are going to be tested right away on that front. It’ll be interesting to see how they respond. Maybe the addition of Smart is exactly what Memphis needed. He has the veteran leadership the Grizzlies may have needed last season and still does all the little things that they’ll lose with Brooks.