THE Memphis Grizzlies They may have finished with the sixth-worst record in the entire league at 27-55 and missed their first playoff appearance since 2020 last season, but, in truth, that shouldn’t dissuade anyone from thinking they can easily return to relevance as early as 2024-25.
The vast majority of their struggles last year were a direct result of the absences of key players and a historical number of rotation changes due to injuries.
With the October 11 kickoff fast approaching, it appears this once-disorganized club should be fully intact from the start, with cornerstones Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane returning to full health.
That trio, along with fellow tight ends Marcus Smart, GG Jackson, Vince Williams Jr. and 7-foot-4 rookie giant Zach Edey, are considered realistic threats to once again compete for a playoff spot in the much-improved Western Conference, and in a recent appearance in The OGsFormer Grizzlies guard Gilbert Arenas couldn’t help but be excited about what this new team can accomplish together.
When discussing the conference’s rising teams with hosts Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem, the former All-Star was asked what he thought of the Grizzlies heading into the season.
While he acknowledged that he initially thought taking a chance on former Purdue star Zach Edey with a top-10 pick was pretty risky and, for him, a potentially fireable offense, he later noted that after taking the time to evaluate his skills and fit with Memphis’ base, his mindset did a 180, going so far as to call him a “super-dumb pick.”
“When you talk about where you want to be drafted to be successful… If I were him, I’d be sitting here and saying, ‘Thank you.'” Arenas said.
He then explained why he felt Edey was a perfect fit for this Memphis team, pointing to Ja Morant’s ability to get him “easy buckets” with driving potential and passing sets, the fact that “they don’t really have any post guys” after trading Steven Adams last season, and that his arrival now allows Jaren Jackson to slide to his more natural spot at the four.
In other words, Arenas was all facts for nearly two minutes straight, because we’ve already seen how lethal this core can be when it deploys a towering presence at the five (Adams, 6-foot-11, 250 pounds, most recently manned the middle and helped them to a combined 107 wins over a two-year stretch through 2023-24) who can set screens, gobble up the boards and protect the basket.
During Edey’s four-year college career with the Boilermakers, where he won two AP Player of the Year awards and was named to two Big Ten All-Defensive teams and averaged 18.2 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, he proved capable of providing all of those things and more to a team’s rotation.
The addition and having him go with that power trio along with the ever-improving GG Jackson and guys like a finally healthy Brandon Clarke has amplified the potential of this Grizzlies team, and he’s already calling them “a nice little team” as we head into early October.
