MEMPHIS – So many questions face the Grizzlies entering the 2018-19 season, and
a week of training camp followed by five preseason games just didn’t provide
enough time for resounding answers.
So, as reasonably expected, the revamped Grizzlies remain an extensive work in
progress as they embark on NBA opening week. Practice resumed Monday after a
sporadic 2-3 finish in the preseason, and the Grizzlies shift their focus toward
Wednesday’s regular-season opener at Indiana.
Indeed, legit questions loom.
Did a healthy Mike Conley and rejuvenated Marc Gasol show enough promising signs
to build confidence that a strong start to the season is on the way? Where does
Jaren Jackson Jr. stand among the impact rookies in the ultra-competitive
Southwest Division? And who will be the surprising players and teams to keep a
close eye on early in the loaded Western Conference?
Those were among several intriguing queries from a league survey of some NBA
team reporters and analysts – including me. There was one rule: each answer must
be limited to around 100 words. In the first installment of a two-part series,
let’s break down the Grizzlies and the West’s top storylines.
Survey: In terms of the team you cover, what is the biggest story to watch this
season?
MikeCheck: This one’s too easy. It’s health. Obviously, it’s the biggest story
for any team. But in Memphis, that’s especially the case considering the recent
injury history of the roster’s three highest-paid players. Conley is
reinvigorated after returning from January heel surgery. He must quickly return
to form after missing 109 games the past three seasons. Gasol is now two years
removed from foot surgery without a setback. And then there’s Chandler Parsons,
who’s been limited to just 70 games through his first two Memphis seasons but
didn’t miss a practice or game in this preseason. The equation is simple: The
Grizzlies are a solid playoff contender with Conley and Gasol available,
especially, and a deep lottery team without them.
Survey: What are the biggest reasons to be optimistic about your team’s chances
this season?
MikeCheck: There’s a healthy balance of desperation, rejuvenation and dedication
with this version of the Grizzlies. The mission is to prove last season’s dismal
22-60 meltdown was an injury-riddled aberration for a franchise that had made
the playoffs the previous seven seasons. With Conley and Gasol anchoring the
veteran leadership, the Grizzlies also have a solid crop of middle-class
contributors in Garrett Temple and Kyle Anderson along with Jackson, the fourth
overall pick, highlighting a young core. The Grizzlies have the pieces they need
to restore themselves as a postseason player in the increasingly tougher West.
The hope is they can put those pieces together relatively quickly.
Survey: What is the biggest concern for your team entering the season opener?
MikeCheck: Temple and Anderson, the team’s biggest acquisitions via trade and
free agency this offseason, didn’t exactly hit the ground running through
training camp and the preseason. Temple missed the final two preseason games and
was slowed by a sore ankle. Anderson also missed two exhibitions while battling
a foot/heel issue. Although both injuries weren’t believed to be serious, they
did curb the progress coach J.B. Bickerstaff was hoping to make in settling on a
primary wing rotation. The Grizzlies’ collective struggle to rebound the ball in
the preseason also creates a glaring concern. Sharpening the chemistry and
continuity will be a delicate, learn-as-we-go process in the initial weeks.
Assistant coaches, Nick Van Exel and Jerry Stackhouse of the Memphis Grizzlies
talk at Utah Summer League on July 1, 2018. Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty
Images
Survey: What’s one thing about your team that may have been underreported
nationally this offseason?
MikeCheck: The assembled coaching staff. Find another one in the league with a
solid handful of former NBA players with more credibility. We’ll wait.
Bickerstaff, the NBA’s second-youngest head coach, is now surrounded by Jerry
Stackhouse, Nick Van Exel, Vitaly Potapenko, Greg Buckner and Kevin Burleson
alongside lead assistant Chad Forcier. And that doesn’t even include Tayshaun
Prince’s presence at practice every day as a budding front-office executive.
Toss in an occasional visit from volunteer Mike Bibby, and you’ve got a staff
unlike any other when it comes to tutelage from respected ex-players who’ve been
there, done that. Word is, those post-practice pick-up games are also epic.
The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Memphis
Grizzlies. All opinions expressed by Michael Wallace are solely his own and do
not reflect the opinions of the Memphis Grizzlies or its Basketball Operations
staff, owners, parent companies, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known
to the Memphis Grizzlies and he has no special access to information beyond the
access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the
media.
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-grizzlies-on-opening-week-181015
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