Are Ja Morant & the Memphis Grizzlies Still Title Contenders? | Grizzlies Offseason Preview
offseason preview time the Memphis Grizzlies Brandon can I ask is this maybe the weirdest season of any NBA team last year just because of everything that happened and how it kind of forced them to kind of like have a year where I don’t know how you take very much of anything from it like I If You’re them and I know they I know like they there’s some coaching stuff on the the assistant staff they’ve changed and they made some trades and I you know you can take something away from you still have ideas about what you do with a team that has John Mor is the focal point of your franchise and Jaren Jack Jr is your number two and all of that and you still have Markus smart around all these things you have ideas I think of what you’d want to do that are pretty logical but such a weird year considering like I don’t know how if there’s anything in the data or the film you can really take and say ah this is what we need and like it it it’s like a clear thing you can base off last year kind of has to go off kind of like what you think of the AR like the archetype of this team and kind of build off of that because you didn’t really get to see any of this come together last year and that that’s makes such an interesting team for this offse I mean I think you do know because they quietly despite all the injuries and pretty much having a Lost season as far as win loss and competing for a championship goes they have more chemistry in a in a longer longer jevity I know that’s not a word core of than anybody pretty much you know outside of like Denver so you know you know your team is jaw Bane and jiren I think Bane in particular who we hyped up a lot throughout the regular season took a huge step forward that was only year four for him so it makes sense and really it’s just filling in around those guys like it always has been you didn’t get to see what Marcus Smart looked like next to anybody because he had a Lost season which is probably the the biggest disappointment outside of obviously jaw who just torpedoed the season but not trading for smart giving real having him be the thing we were waiting so long for them to go get and then just having a whole year lost without any data or evidence about him that sucks but on the plus side I think the most Grizzlies fans probably feel like last year when it was all said and done it was about getting Vince Williams and GG Jackson as legit rotation players going forward so frankly you know obviously Boston’s not going to care about not discovering rotation players if they walk away with the championship but it’s not a lot of teams who can go through a season and say we we drafted and developed and found diamond and the rough guys to fill two rotation spots on cheap salaries so honestly like I feel really good about Memphis heading into next season I like I think they’re going to be right back up there as a championship Contender I mean why not they were up there before they could be deeper now they’re a little more older and experience Bane took a huge step forward why could they not compete for a championship this was a top four seed every year as long as jaw’s been healthy since he broke out that first year they were an eight seed so you add two more rotation guys on the wing like sign me up the part of I think I find most interesting too is that I think there should be urgency for them right now JW’s 25 Desmond Bane’s 26 Jaren 25 it’s not like they are running out of time but because they’ve been to your point they’ve been to for a little bit because the the expense is starting to kick in a little bit you kind of got to start making some moves and what they do and how aggressive they are I think it’s time to maybe be aggressive and and throw some stuff around and be a little bit bold and I and I wonder how aggressive they decide to be even with the draft I look at that as that’s the first Domino that’s going to fall what it would cost I don’t know but like to me them trading up for kingan is just like the most obvious thing I would I want a team to do in this draft that is a guy that even if I understand like if you’re clinging maybe you’d want to go somewhere where you could be more like a more featured part of like a team’s build like Charlotte you know for instance you would be like a clear part of like whatever they’re going to build there and whatever is going to happen start and be a focal point of a franchise more opportunity for money down the line perhaps as well like so I understand like there’s part of that agent’s direct stuff all that but if I’m Memphis I look at that guy who’s like really smart maybe potential to do some shooting can play next to jiren can maybe fill this long-term need to have another Center on your roster maybe you feel confident enough to find a way to use Brandon Clark salary and a trade if you want to get a little weird and and be a little more aggressive in that way like that to me just makes sense is uh go get a guy who’s clearly I think going to have a high floor and be pretty good cost control contract cash in some chips and then fill like a real need on your roster that I think is staring them the face which is to get another big post the Stephen Adams trade yeah agreed that is a need I wouldn’t trust Clark coming off of an injury I feel injury at that yeah I also won’t pretend to know all the details but the fact that it seemed like he could have played and didn’t just felt odd to me just is everything good does he did did something go go weird with the recovery I I don’t know but that that you don’t normally see that you know like Paul George came back and played four games that one year after he shattered his leg like guys just tend to okay I I’m healthy I’m I’m here let’s go and there was the strangeness about Clark may play could play won’t play whatever I don’t know so it doesn’t feel like that’s just what you’re going to say that’s our 25 minute per game center this year starting backup whatever but because jiren can play the five I Clingan would be awesome of course if they had a chance to get him great you know you mentioned Charlotte I don’t think he’s fallen to six so you’re going to have to go higher than even that to go get this guy given we’ve already heard rumors about him at first overall right just to just going to say this again now I’m going to be when we do our draft recap show if if Houston takes him at three I’m just gonna just I’m gonna just F just let’s let’s let’s sangon cook just getting that on the record now just saying that again said it twice yeah the rumors with that are also I mean forget shenon to be honest you know I agree there but also uh that you mentioned the Stephen Adams trade that that’s who traded for him so yeah what are we doing um but anyway kingan would be great obviously but I look at the lottery and there’s guys like kle wear Dron Holmes I know not all those players we think of as the ninth overall prospect whatever they’re going to there are centers here to be had is the point and even if it’s not kinging I think that is a goal of theirs big picture so they have Luke Canard on this team option 14.7 million mhm and they have to decide on that by the 29th so after the draft but you know they might have they can they can make their intentions known before the draft of course I also look at their overall financial situation which is that they are about five a little shy of $500,000 over the tax line to be in that first apron as of now that’s with Canard on the on their team and you know you mentioned Clark being a salary they could potentially move my goal if possible I know the money’s not mine we can do all that with the ownership but being re being realistic there is a little bit of uncertainty with smart with jaw coming back from injury again with r GG and Vince Williams real all that stuff that I don’t fully want to pay the tax if I if I can if I can avoid it cuz you’re getting into repeater territory and the limitations of the apron and all that stuff so can I improve the team and get under that tax line that’s kind of like hold off a year on the tax so it’s like you get like you proof a concept this year and then a year from now maybe you throw some gasoline on the fire and and then you’re really off and running exactly because you mentioned the timeline of Their Stars the other thing aside from them just having you know been together and being in their Prime and you just want to kind of do that what you can is they’re all on their second contracts already and they’re all on Maxes well jiren’s on his third contract right technically um yeah maybe got some kind of ension so it’s it’s getting expensive at the same time so that’s kind of the other thing is like you’re not you’re not going to get any relief anytime soon so the fact that you have your books worked in a way so I but what’s funny is you say that and then their needs to me are more shooting and big man depth so really the question is if you do want to improve which I think we agree they kind of still have to mhm and you’re worried about the tax it’s like well can you actually get players better than canardo Clark because those two guys are also at your positions of need so it’s a little bit of a strange spot to be in where you have the players you kind of have a depth chart already I I I wrote it out I I got to nine guys I feel really good about they could just roll into the season have Clark be their other Center canard’s kind of their last guard Off the Bench shooter and they could just go there and maybe wait to the deadline to make an improvement but they have a lot of options I guess it’s just about how uh can they kind of strike while the Iron’s hot and and like you said what does the draft provide they also have the 39th pick which could be a player too the other thing I would look at too if I’m m is I I I would still feel the need to just get like a little bit bigger on the wing even if you look at the def chart and you feel good about some of this if you’re four guards perimeter guys you’re relying on Morant Bane Canard and smart even if smart we think of mean he defends up all that stuff like that does skew smaller that does skew a little bit like in a way that I I would want to try to find something a little bit bigger there’s a reason that they were one of the teams that wanted to that apparently offered a ton of first round picks for Mel Bridges one of many teams that have done that over the years before the smart trade though see I just think he’s their guy you know yeah yeah which like I get how why they do that I think like there there is something to that but like if you could exchange Canard for someone slightly bigger at that same a roughly the same number even if you have to pay a little bit more and you could find a way to duct the tax another way I think that team would make a lot of sense like could you like laravia like maybe or if maybe not laravia is not the right answer but if there’s like another salary could like is Kar matter too that much could you dump him somewhere else and and do that and get duck the attacks that way like can you do little things on the edges but make a slight Improvement to get a little more size to one of these other spots looking at because but the tricky part with that is that the if you wanted to get bigger there that’s the thing everyone kind of wants and needs that’s really expensive right like that’s the thing that the cost goes up for that’s kind of the the inherent problem here yeah I think with Canard or Clark if you’re Trading those guys and trying to get something better than them you’re you’re having to give up quite a bit because I don’t think one Canard on a team option like that that’s nothing that’s just that’s just a a salary slot nobody’s valuing Canard on an expiring contract by that point if you if you basically mid LEL it’s like yeah it’s basically the mid- level essentially yeah I just mean from the receiving team standpoint that’s not value so you’re having to give everything you’re giving in value is your own players your own picks whatever to improve that spot so and say with Clark because of the injuries and everything else I don’t think you’re going to say Clark and you know 39 and we got this this great new toy to play with you’re you’re you’re probably having to give up future first and all that sort of stuff which you don’t want to do so to me I I like kind of doing the exercise and thought experiment in my head I don’t know uh unless they include nine in a trade I don’t know what’s there for them with either of those two players and I think the question becomes is something interesting enough to them to get more size like you said or a little more shooting to trade smart and just say we tried it whatever last year was weird but this is our only Pathway to a major Improvement so we’re just going to roll it keep it rolling and Smart’s really never going to get time with our core guys and so be it and that might be their only real Pathway to a a real getting a real Difference Maker probably not as good as Mel Bridges but you know I I looked at like to Brooklyn for Dori and Finny Smith who they’ve been connected to in the past as well maybe you get something else from Brooklyn too uh in a trade like that and you give up smart and whatever else and you get more of what you need that might be their only pathway cuz I don’t think you want to give up those Wing those young Wing guys we talked about and like I said the rest of the the players are not very valuable to other teams and even like this fre agency class it’s not like there’s like an under the radar veteran that I’m like excited about trying to NAB if him you know what I mean it’s like jedy Osman on a cheap contract it’s like H Royce O’Neal like on a minimum like Gary Harris like on a on a cheap deal would be like okay but is that like really needle moving for you based on the guys you have I don’t think those any of these guys are demonstrably better or significantly different than what you already kind of have in house to your point and I also like even if there are is going to be some ups and downs with with Jackson um and with Vince Williams more so with Jackson CU he is still incredibly young he’s 20 yeah he’s 20 like I want those guys to play I want those guys to get the Reps because like that’s how it’s going to pay off for them in a year two years three years when you know J’s 28 you know Jackson’s 28 Bane’s 29 or whatever and those guys are okay like then though they’re in their Prime primes and those guys have had the experience and also frankly you get more information on when you have to pay them cuz like those those you also have to be thinking about that’s online too and balancing the books like three years from now that’s the whole like Balancing Act teams are going to be running in this in this apron era so it’s really tricky I think that’s that that’s like part of the reason why I think if I’m them I don’t even want to consider trading the pick because I think even if that like whatever you think about this draft then they’ll have their own read on it obviously I would want to like take someone because I would want the cost control like part of the reason I’m I think I’m okay for them because you even whether it’s kinging whether it’s another Center whether it’s one of the Wings I want the cost control and the opportunity to frankly make up for some of the misses on the draft they’ve had the last ofs whether it’s Rody whether it’s Kenneth Lofton any of the other misses they’ve had do you know what team David Ry plays for the the Phoenix Suns nice very random so I I figured I’d thr that at you and see if you remember Brenan I I was a David Rody like obsessive when he came into the draft I was like the frame the weirdness of his game I was like really in on David Rody I couldn’t tell you why I just there’s something about him that I really really liked and it just hasn’t really worked no so yeah I I hear you and I think that’s probably the smartest thing to do I mean I think there are there is an advantage to the teams in the range of like Memphis well Houston of course but Memphis Oklahoma City even Chicago Sacramento and then Miami kind of the round out that that Lottery area is just snap up whatever Falls and you’re probably going to get a a pretty decent shot at somebody who might be a little older might be closer to a finished product the other two centers I mentioned Devin Carter there’s players like that who I think you know could contribute right away so Memphis could really benefit from that as well and maybe hell I mean would it be crazy if somebody they draft at nine even if it’s not one of the top names we’re all hyped up about now if it’s somebody more in that middle tier ends up being better than Canard or Clark or GG Jackson next year no that wouldn’t be crazy at all that could easily be what happens here to give them that additional rotation piece that again I I think we’re in agreement they’re kind of One Two Pieces away but I mean the Thunder Godot cassan Wallace Derrick Lively we’ve been talking about those guys all all season for a reason though if Memphis can be the team to kind of do that easier said than done but maybe that’s their approach and they just really like somebody at nine and and that becomes their eighth man and they they get better that way so it’s I mean that’s the other thing they got out of this season from hell is the ninth overall pick so that helps too the last thing I I think we should hit on is is Ja because didn’t really see him last year A Lost season due to off court stuff due to the injury what he comes back looking like healthwise mentality wise like where he comes out of this summer and and last year what he comes looking like I think that’s maybe more important than anything we talked about because that’s the guy who drives this franchise I mean more than anyone else more than Taylor Jenkins who’s a very good coach more than jiren because we kind of know what jiren’s limitations are at the top top end of things more than Bane who’s really good and I really like but jaw the engine of this team jaw’s the face of this franchise and where he ends up after everything that has gone on the last year and a half all the noise all the injury like whatever B bad or good whatever you want to say where he comes out of this Brendan to me and like what kind of player he this next phase look like that’s probably more important than any of this cuz like the ceiling they could reach if they are going to be a title Contender none of it matters if ja is not hitting another level and and kind of hitting whatever his potential ultimately is yeah do you think he where would you look if I were to if I were to come back in time from 2027 and I said johnar got 10% better where would you where would that come from I don’t think it’s defensively because he’s just too small like I think that’s always going to kind of be the thing I want to pull up what his numbers are because I I can’t tell him you thought but like I i’ want to say like pull up three-point shooting would be the thing like if that like he stop and yeah that’d be great but that’s a tough skill I don’t know but like but that’s like the half court thing with him right that would like really like diversify his like I’m trying to think of how to divers John with a consistent pullup three is an MVP so that’s but that’s kind of like the thing it’s like he’s kind of already like I don’t mean to be like kind of like GLI about it but it’s like yeah but like brenon it’s like that’s kind of like the where he got in terms of like how the energy around him in terms of the excitement around him it’s like it’s like kind of like that that’s like the part of his game that just didn’t feel like it was totally like there on the offense like it felt like the was there in a lot of ways to me but it doesn’t mean he’s necessar going to add it right I I I guess where I’m going is like I think he’s he may be somewhat of a finished product you know because of the limitations of his frame like um I think some guys that are that are so polish so early like especially if their size limits them unless it like you’re saying unless it is the shooting there’s not really a bunch of additional layers to what they’re really going to be able to do like Kyrie Irving is a good example of somebody like once Kyrie hit a point he’s been that and that that’s an all-nba caliber guy but you know Kyrie didn’t like and then he did that it’s just no he was there and he stayed there and he’s going to go to the Hall of Fame so great and I think jaw’s on that track too but I don’t know age 25 season are we going to see a leap or that’s why I was so excited to see what Bane did frankly like Bane to me I think his season got overlooked like the guy shot nine nine threes a game 38% five and a half assists per game upped his free his free throw attempts per game scored 24 points per game and he’s not an amazing Defender but he has length and he’s you know uh already a little older he’s basically the same he’s older than J um so you just kind of you’re not worried about him he’s exploitable like you said they’re small in the back court but that’s where I think the team’s overall you know half court whatever their their offensive ceiling can go up as him and their partnership so I want to see that that that’s I guess the part of Ja coming back is how does it mesh now that Bane took this huge leap that’s where I want to see how jaw’s game changes it’s not to me like him getting to this extra level it’s can he do a lot be as impactful and valuable and important as he was to them when it was just his show and Shar some of that responsibility with a Bonafide co-star that he has now versus just this sharpo guy who would you know come off screens and get some threes up which is kind of what he was before last season and what the slightly more off ball J even look like we don’t really know very low volume catching she three-point guy for his career I think there’s opportunity for him to be a really Dynamic cutter but like you know it’s pretty rare for a guy like him to want to cut exactly so is Russ right how long he going to say that one for yeah took until he got to the Clippers to really want to do any of that took until he was a minimum player on his on the on his way out of the league potentially to finally Embrace that so yeah but look it’s not even a me like I don’t criticize it I get it like you’ve been doing this your whole life do you want to go stand over there and Sprint toward the basket and hope you get the ball like you want me to do what you know the only the only player who has ever willingly like and this is part of like his Brilliance that has ever willingly like used a bunch of energy to run around for the sake of everyone else is Steph Curry it’s like literally the only guy ever that has been willing to do that and when you do that you win MVPs for it right so yeah it’s uh yeah I mean it also fit it also fit his skill set like it’s like he’s also like one of one in that way it’s like J like if if I think defenses in some ways would be excited if J was like running around off the screens he’d be like great we can just like like they be St well and look I mean the thing is even aside from whatever he does off the ball and if he’s even comfortable or impactful or how he’s deployed in that type of a situation defenses aren’t going to guard him no so that it it’s a it’s a maze it’s not an easy one to solve but I uh did I convince you do we got a championship Contender on our hands or am iead of my e here I I if they were in the East I could talk myself into a way easier just the West is just like such a blood bath that’s just like I don’t know like you know what I mean it’s like I in the west I feel like there’s almost a need to be more if they were in the East you could we could have like a much more cautious offseason I would be like sure in the west I don’t know if that gets it done I mean 2022 they are in the second round they go to six games against the Warriors in a year that Golden State ultimately wins the championship and in that Series J only played three of six games that’s the last time we really saw them at the peak of their powers ja was maybe not quite as good he he was even better that The Following Season Bane was definitely not as good they did have Dylan Brooks and a healthy Brandon Clark Melton was on the team Kyle Anderson was on the team but you know fill in Brooks for smart and some of the other moves we’ve talked about and if those young guys come along like they were right there last time we saw them healthy and last time they were a real team so last year you know 2023 they imploded Brooks is barking at LeBron and beefing with the media and Jaws going off the deepend so I kind of throw that in the trash but yeah we’re getting leaks the day the season ends it’s like yeah Dylan’s not coming back weird times exactly exactly so but 2022 like plus some development in depth and everything I don’t know I’m just saying we shouldn’t Overlook them just cuz they had a weird year
Can Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies rebound after a year full of injuries and turmoil to regain the ground they lost in the Western Conference?
What moves do they need to make this summer in order to bounce back?
Brendon Kleen and Chris Manning discuss on the Just Basketball Show.
#nba #basketball #memphisgrizzlies #podcast
__________________________________________________________________________
Use code JUSTBASKETBALL when signing up on BETMGM: https://mediaserver.betmgmpartners.com/renderBanner.do?zoneId=1712858
Buy NBA gear at Homage using our link: https://homage.sjv.io/JustBasketball
Follow us on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@justbballfans
Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/justbasketballshow/
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/justbballshow
Please subscribe and leave a five-star review if you enjoy the Just Basketball Show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and Like and Subscribe on YouTube!
#NBA #Basketball #Podcast #NBAPodcast #Sports #SportsPodcast
