Memphis Grizzlies: 2016-17 Season Outlook

Three Key Storylines: 3. Trying To Slay Goliath

Assuming the Grizzlies’ core players stay relatively healthy, and that they fixed their Achilles heel on the perimeter…does any of it really matter?

I’m not here to make a “ringzzz” kind of argument. The Grizzlies’ success during the grit-n-grind era shouldn’t be measured by their lack of a championship, nor should it if they fall short again in 2016-17. This has been the most enjoyable team — by far — in the franchise’s history, and this current iteration is their best one yet (on paper, at least).

But we also can’t ignore that as exciting as this summer was for Grizzlies fans, Kevin Durant’s migration to the Bay Area caps it off somewhat. Technically you could say that about all but one or two teams in the league, but there’s no denying the sense that the timing of Conley re-signing and Parsons joining is less than ideal.

The Warriors have rapidly become a dynasty in the making, even if they didn’t actually win it all last season. That team just added a top-three player to their ranks, the Spurs aren’t going anywhere even with Tim Duncan retiring, and the reigning champion Cleveland Cavaliers would be heavily favored in the NBA Finals even if Memphis somehow managed to survive the Western gauntlet.

With Gasol and Z-Bo on the wrong side of 30, most of the roster injury-prone and the top of the West as lopsided as ever, the Grizzlies need just about everything to go right — kind of how it did in 2013, when Russell Westbrook‘s injury paved the way for a trip to the conference finals — to be able to slay Goliath.

Next: Best, Worst Case Scenarios