The Memphis Grizzlies enter the 2024-25 season with redemption in mind.
After stringing together two consecutive second-place seasons with 50-plus wins and three straight trips to the playoffs, coach Taylor Jenkins’ ballclub hit a wall of injuries and suspensions in a 2023-24 campaign that saw them end up with the seventh-worst record in the league.
With that 82-game nightmare well behind us, Memphis’ primary mission moving forward is to reestablish itself as a legitimate threat in the highly competitive Western Conference.
Based on Recent rumblings and chatter Among fans and pundits alike, it seems that hope for the Grizzlies to return to the top of the league’s elite is alive and well, and in a recent article written by Zach Buckley of Bleacher ReportSimply claiming a top-eight spot and getting back into playoff contention is just the beginning for this club.
Currently, only 10 teams in the league have yet to win an NBA championship.
Of course, there is a clear hierarchy between these historically unlucky organizations when it comes to their chances of winning the illustrious Larry O’Brien Trophy at some point in the near future, with Buckley noting that they “can be found at every level of the Association.”
The Grizzlies, as most probably already know, are unfortunately part of that winless index, though the odds of them making the proverbial leap to glory are better than the vast majority of the other nine involved, and the veteran B/R writer sees them boasting the third-highest level of potential to do so over the next few years.
Buckley says their place on this list seems “either a little ambitious or maybe underrated.” With the bitter taste of their 27-win season still fresh in everyone’s mouths, considering them a legitimate championship threat a year removed may seem a little overzealous.
That said, it should not be forgotten that their abrupt decline was mainly due to poor health or, in other words, factors beyond their control.
Assuming they can avoid injuries and, in turn, reunite their core trio of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane, it’s almost certain that incredibly bright days lie ahead.
Let’s not forget that they were the driving force behind the team’s 107 regular-season wins from 2021-22 to 2022-23, earning just the fourth semifinal berth in franchise history, and, as Buckley noted, “had a comically high score.” plus-12.7 net score on 444 minutes in 2022-23.”
On top of that, those three are finally set for a full year alongside players like sophomore GG Jackson, lottery-selected giant center Zach Edey and the now-winning attributes of Marcus Smart. has only proven capable of providing to a competitor.
While the Grizzlies being ranked third on Buckley’s list could be considered “aspirational,” who, once fully intact and healthy, could actually supplant them?
The Orlando Magic (No. 4), who have only made the playoffs once since the Lake Buena Vista bubble in 2020 and haven’t advanced past the first round since 2010? The LA Clippers (No. 7), who still have Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, but have a core that is still injured, is over 30, and just lost their second-best player in Paul George this summer?
Outside of the top-ranked Minnesota Timberwolves, it’s safe to say that a fully-strength Grizzlies team arguably has the best chance of adding its first championship banner to the rafters than any other non-title organization — and yes, that includes the talented, if oddly constructed, second-ranked Phoenix Suns.
Hopefully the team will bounce back in a big way next year and remind the rest of the league that before the OKC Thunder took on the moniker of the NBA’s most promising young team, the Grizzlies were the ones who were seen in that light.
