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.
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