Despite boasting a regular-season profile traditionally held by a legitimate title contender—56 wins after a preseason over/under of 41.5, plus a top-five offense, defense and net rating—no team as young and seemingly top heavy as the 2021–22 Grizzlies ever actually won it all.
NBA champions are typically battle tested, with at least two stars supported by a wealth of experience. Memphis, though, is the league’s fourth-youngest team. A majority of the Grizzlies’ rotation is currently competing in just their third playoff series. Their two oldest players, Steven Adams and Kyle Anderson, are only 28, while 22-year-old Ja Morant is their lone All-Star.
Since the merger, the 1977 Trail Blazers are probably the closest parallel that actually went on to win a title. They were the second-youngest team in the league that year, coming off a season in which they didn’t even make the playoffs. But in addition to having a third-year megastar in Bill Walton, Maurice Lucas technically gave them a second All-Star. The '79 Seattle SuperSonics are another possible comparison. They were led by two young guards (Dennis Johnson and Gus Williams; neither made All-NBA and only Johnson was an All-Star). However, they were the 15th-oldest team in a 22-franchise league.
