Don’t Expect Grizzlies to Make Playoffs in Back to Back Seasons
By Peter Dewey
If there’s any team that knows how to approach the NBA’s Play-In Tournament, it’s the Memphis Grizzlies.
Memphis faced and lost in the play-in to the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA’s Orlando, Fla. bubble during the 2019-20 season, but they got revenge last season; winning two straight play-in games to earn the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
Behind Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Dillon Brooks, the Grizzlies are an up-and-coming team in the West, but I don’t think they'll be a playoff team again next season.
Obviously, this is an early prediction, but when you look at the Western Conference, the Grizzlies seem to be the odd team out. WynnBET currently has the Grizzlies at -116 odds to miss the postseason and -105 odds to make it.
However, with the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, Blazers, Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors all improving or maintaining their core from last season, it’s hard to see the Grizzlies breaking into the top eight seeds in the conference.
Injuries could always help the Grizzlies, but with Klay Thompson coming back for the Warriors, it looks like Golden State seems primed for that spot; considering WynnBET has given the Warriors +1000 odds (fourth) to win the NBA title. The Warriors ended up missing the playoffs last season after falling to Memphis in the play-in round.
Portland, Dallas and the Clippers seem like the other teams that the Grizzlies could grab a spot from, as the Clippers will be without Kawhi Leonard for at least part of the 2021-22 season.
The question becomes whether or not Morant can truly carry this Grizzlies team to take the next step in the West. At this moment, oddsmakers aren’t sold.
The Grizzlies don’t offer enough value to take as a playoff team, but on paper they look like they’ll narrowly miss the field this coming season.
Believe in the Grizzlies to make the playoffs? Fading them instead?
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