Memphis Grizzlies: 2016-17 Season Outlook
Predictions
The Memphis Grizzlies aren’t going to be 100 percent healthy again in 2016-17, but they won’t be the injury-stricken team that many fear they’ll be. Parsons will probably miss 10-20 games again, especially as he enters the season nursing a knee injury, but the key players should be able to stay on the court long enough to show signs of growth.
More from Hoops Habit
- The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
Gasol may be 31, but his game should continue to translate well as he ages. The same could be said for Z-Bo, though it will become more clear in 2016-17 that his days of being a regular double-double threat are over.
Conley has a lot to prove after receiving the largest contract in NBA history, and he should respond with a career season. With Parsons pulling defenders out to three-point range, the Grizzlies’ glaring flaw is less of an issue, opening up driving lanes for Conley as well.
Daniels doesn’t shoot a blistering 48 percent from deep again, but he manages to spread the floor by hovering in the 40 percent range. Baldwin and Davis predictably struggle in their rookie seasons, but show enough glimpses of potential for Grizzlies fans to feel good about their futures.
Next: NBA Predictions: 2016-17 Win Total Projections For All 30 Teams
Memphis wins 50 games to finish with the fourth seed in the Western Conference. They advance past the first round after a hard-fought series with the Utah Jazz, but are promptly escorted into the offseason by the juggernaut Warriors.