Memphis were an unexpectedly elite team last season. They finished the regular season with the second best record (56-26) in the league while having the #4 best offense and the #5 best defense. The blueprint of their success was “anti-analytic”: they didn’t take 3pts shots (#29 3pts vol%) as their focus was on attacking the paint and they crushed the boards (#1 in the league). On defense, their focus was on creating turnovers (#4 in TO/rate) so they could then destroy their opponents on transition (#1 in vol% and #4 in PPP).
They also showed to have some great depth as their bench was #2 in the league in net efficiency. That was clearly noticeable in the games that Ja Morant missed due to injury as they won 20 out of those 25 games.
Besides trading Jonas Valanciunas for Steven Adams, the Grizzlies didn’t make any substantial roster prior to last season. Their unexpected success was the result of their young players developing: Morant turned into a legit superstar who can’t be stopped in the paint, Desmond Bane became a legit shooter, while Jaren Jackson Jr. transformed into a legit good defensive player.
In the playoffs, the Grizzlies’ lack of an effective half court offense (just #22 ranked) was exposed in the key games of their series against Golden State as they only scored 98 and 96 points in their last two losses, while the Warriors outscored them in the fast break points stat.
2022/23 Outlook:
After such an amazing last season, the expectations for Memphis this year have to be huge. Their best players are back with an extra year of experience under their belts, so they look set to improve even more.
However, Jaren Jackson Jr. suffered a stress fracture in the summer and will miss the start of the season. The Grizzlies also traded away De’Anthony Melton and lost Kyle Anderson to Minnesota in free agency. They were two key pieces of their great bench, so coach Taylor Jenkins will have to be creative, especially early in the season. The good news is that he has been great at developing young players so far in his career.
Their playing style will stay the same, so the Grizzlies will be a very tough team to beat during the regular season. They will score a ton of easy points, while being an elite defensive team as well: that’s an excellent combination if your goal is to win ball games.