Don't look now, but there's a new No. 2 in the Western Conference, and they're legit

As the holidays approach, many mark Christmas Day as the unofficial start of the NBA season. With football season starting to wind down and a slew of nationally televised NBA games to enjoy, it's a great time to plug back in and get a look at some of the most popular teams and players around the league.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers are getting all the love as the most impressive teams in the league so far. The Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks get all the headlines and slots on the Christmas Day schedule by virtue of being some of the league's glitziest franchises.

But there's a team that won't be suiting up on the holiday and is flying under the radar as the end of 2024 approaches that deserves your attention: the Memphis Grizzlies.

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The Grizzlies are out of hibernation and making their presence felt in the West

You may not have realized it, but the Grizz are 20-9 entering play on Monday night, up to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, while sporting a robust plus-9.4 net rating that ranks fourth in the NBA.

After the epic disaster – and that’s putting it nicely – that was last season, you would be forgiven if you were not expecting this team to have much to say in a deep Western Conference. But now that they've been healthy (sort of) to start this year, they're picking right back up where they left off as a team who had won 50-plus games in both 2021-22 and 2022-23 before last year's debacle.

That impressive net rating comes via a balanced attack, as the Grizz have deployed the fourth-best offense and fourth-best defense in the league so far this season. They are scoring efficiently, rebounding like crazy, forcing missed shots and turning opponents over frequently. They're pounding the East (12-3) and dominating at home on Beale Street (13-3).

For all the adoration given to stars like Nikola Jokic, Luke Doncic, LeBron James and Stephen Curry, all of them sit below Memphis in the standings. Though their health is nothing short of a miracle compared to last season, this team has been doing all this with a significant amount of missed time from some key rotation players. Ja Morant has missed 12 games, Marcus Smart has missed 11, Zach Edey has missed 10, Vince Williams Jr. has only played in three games and GG Jackson has yet to suit up at all.

Yet they keep plugging along. Here are a few of the many reasons for their success.

The Grizzlies are as deep as Santa's bag

This team comes at you in waves. There are 12 players on this roster who have played at least 17 games and over 15 minutes in those contests. Seven of those players are putting up double figures in scoring. Not a single one of them is playing over 30 minutes per game! Memphis has already played 11 different starting lineups and doesn't miss a beat regardless of the combination.

No Morant tonight? Just plug in Scotty Pippen Jr. to give you 22 points and nine assists. Williams Jr. and Jackson still on the shelf? Rookie Jaylen Wells will pop in to win Rookie of the Month. Limited to one rookie center on the roster? Converting two-way big man Jay Huff can solve that in a snap. The Grizzlies have yet to play a five-man lineup that has crossed the 100-minute threshold this season, and they continue to shine anyway.

If you were worried about the duo of Brandon Clarke and Jaren Jackson Jr. after all their time missed last year, fear not. This duo is logging a plus-12.6 net rating in 827 possessions together, per Cleaning the Glass.

Though they haven't played together as much as they'd like, their trio of best players in Morant, Jackson and Bane sport a plus-11.7 differential together and a defense in the 90th percentile. Head coach Taylor Jenkins and his new coaching staff seemingly have a million combinations to play with and just keep pushing the right buttons.

They're using their phenomenal depth to facilitate tons of pace and movement all over the floor. They've got a unique offense that leverages spacing and movement rather than screens to find openings. The waves of quality depth also allows them to limit everyone's minutes, maximizing their time on the floor and their ability to play fast.

"Run, run, as fast as you can"

"You can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man." The Grizzlies are running like the cinnamon-, nutmeg- and ginger-flavored cookie who just escaped from the baker's oven.

But by a multitude of metrics, this team is putting the pedal to the metal. NBA.com has them No. 1 in transition frequency and pace, while Cleaning the Glass tracks them No.1 in transition frequency and No. 2 in transition points added per possession as well. Any way you slice it, their breakneck pace is one of the defining traits of this team.

The most electrifying part of this transition attack is the head gingerbread man himself, Ja Morant. At a diminutive 6-foot-3, Morant is fourth in the NBA in fast break points per 36 minutes (min. 15 games). There are few events around the league more worth the price of admission than Morant pushing the ball in transition. Whether it’s a highlight finish or impeccable assist to a teammate, he and the Grizz force you to refrain from blinking as much as possible, lest you miss the play of the night.

Morant’s speed and ability to get to the rim put so much pressure on the defense and create so much gravity for his teammates. He is far from alone, though. Here’s where he and some of his teammates rank in frequency of transition plays in the league:

These guys don’t care about context, they’re just going to run it down your throat. They sport the fastest time to shoot in the league overall, being fastest after missed shots and second-fastest after made shots. They won’t even let you relax on free throws, as they play the fastest pace in the league off missed free throws and third-fastest off makes.

The NBA's tracking data has the Grizzlies at No. 1 in the league in average distance traveled and average speed logged per game, giving some raw context to the pace. You better have your oxygen tanks ready when you lace ‘em up against these guys.

In the paint, they're setting up shop like elves at the North Pole

To put it simply, you must protect the paint against this team, which is No. 1 in the NBA in points in the paint per game. They drive and drive and drive until you turn your head for a split second or are a half step late on a help assignment, then they're on top of you in a flash. They're second in the league in points per game on drives, trailing only the similarly relentless OKC Thunder.

The depth of quality talent noted previously shows itself most obviously in the ability of so many players to dribble and drive off the catch. Every player that steps on the floor is a threat to get to the hoop, and that causes all sorts of problems for defenders. Morant gets into the paint at will and wreaks all sorts of havoc, but one of the underrated aspects of this element is the growth of Jackson Jr.

With the reinforcements he has on the offensive end this year, JJJ is back to shooting 69 percent at the rim, which is a giant leap from last year's 59 percent. In addition, he is showing an immense amount of growth in control and command over his size and ability to generate shots in the paint. On short mid-rangers, he's finishing a career-high 54 percent, which is in the 90th percentile in the league among big men. His size and athleticism, combined with his deft left-handed touch on floaters and turnarounds, have made him a nightmare matchup for opponents.

The other way Memphis dominates the paint is on the glass, specifically on the offensive end. As we've outlined here previously, this team is ferocious in this area. They are currently No. 4 in the league in offensive rebounding rate and second-chance points per game. Edey is still dominating down low, with the league's fourth-best offensive rebounding rate while scoring 7.7 second chance points per 100 possessions, which is second in the NBA (min. 15 games).

Don't sleep on the rest of the roster either. Konchar, LaRavia, Smart, Clarke and even Morant are good-to-elite offensive rebounders for their positions. While they lag behind a lot of the league in 3-point shooting prowess, they use every other advantage they can with their size and athleticism to manufacture points in other ways.

And it's working.