Not too long ago, Ja Morant was telling media that his Memphis Grizzlies were “fine in the West.” That might have been the case in 2023. The Grizzlies quickly went from a frisky, young team centered around Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane to a powerhouse, putting up consecutive 50-win seasons. They were one of the best defenses in the league, had one of the most electric stars and a platoon group around him that boasted all the characteristics of a championship contender.
But the NBA is a “what have you done for me lately” league, and all anyone (mostly) remembers is an injury-riddled team that stumbled its way to 27 wins last season. Thirty percent into 2024-25, the 17-8 Grizzlies are on pace for another 50-win season. They’re back to being a powerhouse, sitting second in the West and are one of only five teams with a top-10 offense and defense.
Are they fine in the West again? Or are they better than fine?
The Grizzlies Are Returning To Their Roots — With Some Tweaks
As it climbed up the West standings, Memphis developed a patent identity: play fast, win the possession battle, defend the paint like your life depends on it and hope that’s enough to compensate for inconsistent stretches offensively.
Some of those elements still exist on this season’s squad. The Grizzlies are the best transition team in the NBA, getting out and scoring on fast breaks more frequently than anyone else. They’re fourth in offensive rebounding percentage and third in total possessions — helping them game the math battle as much as they possibly can.
All of these components are still massive parts of their offensive philosophy. But they’re also more efficient in the half-court than ever before. After being a bottom-10 half-court offense during the past three seasons, Memphis is now middle of the pack, ranking 15th in points per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning the Glass.
While this is still the same dog, it’s learned some new tricks.
For starters, they’re a more aggressive outside shooting team. They’re taking nearly three more shots beyond the arc than the 2022-23 version of this same core. They have six players attempting at least four threes a night and could see even more success once Bane finds his footing. He’s shooting just 32 percent from deep this season, despite his 41 percent career clip.
The Grizzlies also moving the ball more than ever. They’re second in the league in assists and seventh in assist percentage — a vast change in philosophy compared to their two 50-win seasons, when they ranked 19th in both statistical categories.
Some new faces in the rotation are directly corrected with these changes. Scotty Pippen Jr. and Marcus Smart are top five in bench assists, each averaging over four per game and 9.5 in total. While Smart is more of a connector than lead initiator, Pippen orchestrates the offense with poise when Morant is off the floor. Jake LaRavia has also been a pleasant boost for Memphis as a do-it-all utility knife on the wing who glues actions together.
More passes equal better shots and, ultimately, a more efficient offense.
Jaren Jackson Jr. Is Evolving
Perhaps the most significant difference between this season’s Grizzlies and previous iterations is the play of their big man, Jaren Jackson Jr.. He used the down year for Memphis in 2023-24 to refine his offensive game and come back better than ever.
Jackson is averaging 22 points on an efficient 62 percent true shooting and has evolved his scoring methods. Last season, he took a career-high 12 two-pointers each night, working meticulously to fine-tune his shotmaking inside. That’s paid off immensely this year. He’s hitting 60 percent of his two-pointers on over 10 attempts per game. A career-high 44 percent of his shots are coming between 5 and 14 feet, and he’s making 54 percent of those looks (86th percentile among bigs, per Cleaning the Glass).
The beauty of all of this? Most of them are self-created. A career-low 55 percent of his shots are assisted this season. He’s added a potent lefty hook to his bag that’s incredibly hard to stop at his size. Just ask the Boston Celtics, which were carved up by it to the tune of 16 fourth quarter points when Memphis knocked off the defending champs inside TD Garden on Saturday.
Just a dominant and unstoppable fourth quarter from him in Boston.
Most of these buckets are without Ja on the floor by the way.
Really impressively imposing his will physically + dominating on D pic.twitter.com/dq7f6nh1lS
— Esfandiar Baraheni (@JustEsBaraheni) December 9, 2024
He’s doing all of this while still being the same Defensive Player of the Year-level anchor he’s long been and playing All-Star — actually, All-NBA-caliber — basketball this season. There’s no question Morant’s stardom dictates the Grizzlies’ ceiling, but Jackson is working to change that by becoming an even bigger part of the equation.
Memphis Has Versatile Depth
You can debate how much depth matters in the NBA, but there’s no debate how important versatility is. You must be malleable to any matchup. If there was one major flaw to the Grizzlies’ contention hopes the last few seasons, it was their inflexibility. They played one style. If they beat you that way, so be it.
That formula has changed quite a bit, especially in the frontcourt. Memphis has an abundance of options to pair alongside Jackson. It can play bigger by throwing out Zach Edey (when he’s healthy). If it needs shooting and floor-spacing, it can throw out Santi Aldama or Jay Huff. If it wants a switch-heavy lineup, it can put in Brandon Clarke. That’s versatility.
Those options have a trickle-down effect on the rest of the roster. The emergences of Pippen and rookie Jaylen Wells are helping head coach Taylor Jenkins embrace different lineups and go even deeper into his bench.
The Grizzlies aren’t only back to their old ways, they’re better. This is the best basketball they’ve ever played and arguably the most legitimate their contender status has looked.
Morant is a firecracker who can be the best player in any given playoff series. Jackson has evolved to become a more well-rounded offensive player and still anchors a potent defense. Bane, though off to a slow start, is one of the league’s best shooters and a worthy third option. Around that trio is a cast of role players who accentuates their strengths and provides them necessary flexibility.
All of those characteristics make this version of the Grizzlies clear contenders.
