SALT LAKE CITY – There are times when Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins meets with Ja Morant or speaks to Brandon Clarke and reality sets in.
In those moments, Jenkins pauses briefly and reflects.
“It’s an unbelievable blessing I thank God for every single day,” Jenkins explained. “In particular, with Ja and B.C., guys that came in back in 2019 with me. I always catch myself and say, ‘Do you believe we’re already going into our sixth year?’ I don’t take this for granted.”
Five years can seem like a lifetime in the NBA.
Especially for these Grizzlies, a team that’s endured the highs and lows, grasps and throws and ebbs and flows of a contender regaining its footing and determined to chase an NBA title.
In fact, the version of the Grizzlies that opens this high-stakes season Wednesday against the Jazz has been in the making since 2018. That’s when power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. arrived in the draft lottery and dawned a new era for the franchise.
A year later, Jenkins was handed his first NBA head coaching job just before Morant and Clarke were selected in the 2019 draft. When Desmond Bane was picked a year later in the first round, a foundational core was forged.
Four seasons of collective gains, setbacks and growing pains have delivered the Grizzlies to the doorstep of potentially the most pivotal season in franchise history. As a current core draft by the same team, the Grizzlies trio of Jackson, Morant and Bane have been together longer than any core in the league yet to reach the NBA Finals.
Boston’s duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown broke through last season. Denver’s quartet of Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon got it done two seasons ago. The Warriors have four rings to show for their dynastic run, and even LeBron and Anthony Davis snagged a title in the bubble during the pandemic.
Considering the NBA has produced six different champions each of the past six seasons, there’s no wonder why a deeper crop of contending teams feel it’s their turn to win it all these days.
Count the Grizzlies in that number.
The Grizzlies now boast a cast of young vets with Jackson, Morant and Bane all on max-level or near-max contracts, coming off an injury-riddled season that doomed them to a 27-55 finish.
And they’ve earned the right to feel their time is now. Not long ago, Memphis was a brash, overlooked, plucky, young squad that posted consecutive 50-win seasons and a pair of second-place finishes in the Western Conference.
It’s why Morant echoed Jenkins’ sentiments in not taking any aspect of this season for granted.
“We know we haven’t done (expletive) yet,” Morant assured. “We’ve shown what we can do and what we we’re capable of. But unless you win a (championship), you ain’t done (expletive).”
That mindset framed the team’s collective approach through the preseason as the Grizzlies instituted new concepts on offense and implemented a more aggressive scheme on defense. That process remains a work in progress as they await the healthy return of a few key players.
That list includes Jackson, who will miss Wednesday’s game as he ramps up his conditioning to return from a hamstring strain sustained on the first day of training camp. The team is targeting Saturday’s home opener against the Magic for Jackson’s potential debut.
After being limited to just nine games last season because of a league suspension and season-ending shoulder surgery, Morant listed three initial goals as he prepared for a fresh start.
“Have fun because if you’re not having fun anymore, you might as well hang it up – so that’s my number one goal,” Morant said ahead of the team’s flight to Utah. “Second, is to stay healthy. And third, we all know what that is. We all want a parade here (in Memphis), for sure.”
These Grizzlies are now collectively mature enough to know the path to that parade is paved with professional development. Veteran guard Marcus Smart can attest to a blossoming team’s journey through challenges and setbacks to eventually find its way.
Smart was a core member of Boston teams that saw Tatum and Brown lead the turbulent climb to the top of the Eastern Conference. Smart was traded to the Grizzlies at the start of last season, one in which the Celtics finally achieved their breakthrough.
Now, Smart sees some similarity between these Grizzlies and those on-the-come Celtics.
“I was thankful to be with those guys as they developed in Boston,” Smart reflected. “Here, you’ve got Jaren and Des and Ja, and they’ve grown up together and have been through some battles. You add me, and I’ve gone through some battles and can go through it with them. You see, ultimately, things calm down for everybody, things we can control.”
Smart believes the Grizzlies are taking control of what matters most. This is a core group that is older, locked in and not distracted by contracts, statistics or individual status.
“It’s a new year, and you can start to see that connection where you mature as a professional, and it’s about basketball and only winning,” Smart pointed out. “I don’t think it was ever not about that. I just think there was a lot of stuff that kind of derailed it for us, especially last year.”
This season, the Grizzlies have newly restored grace and gratitude.
For Jenkins, that’s another reflection point.
“We’re not trying to get back to where we were two years ago or three years ago,” he insisted. “This is a new team. I can’t wait to dive in Wednesday and see what this special group can do.”
These Grizzlies have grown up and grown together.
And for that, they’re grateful, too.