Memphis Grizzlies: 2017-18 season preview
By Greg Cassoli
Predictions
I’ve avoided this part of the preview for several days. The other sections practically wrote themselves, but the general takeaway from all of them was that it’s going to be hard to predict how this team performs.
The Grizzlies’ injury questions, high roster turnover and increased levels of competition in the Western Conference add up to some major variability in possible outcomes. All that to say, I don’t really know what’s going to happen, and I feel less confident in my best guess for Memphis than I do for a lot of other teams. So take this with a grain of salt.
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I’m pricing out any positive contributions from Chandler Parsons until he can prove he is capable of staying on the court, accounting for minor(ish) injuries to Conley, Gasol, Evans, Chalmers and Wright, and assuming that at least one of those five will miss major time. Given such restraints, I think the Grizzlies fall to somewhere in the 10-12 range of defensive efficiency, while still managing to climb the offensive efficiency ladder up to somewhere between 14-16.
That would make them an average team likely to win an average number of games. I’ll put my predicted record at 41-41, a mark that would have seen the team make the playoffs a year ago, but is unlikely to do so in the upcoming season.
It’s sad to think of the Grizzlies not playing in the postseason. If they miss out on the playoffs, it will be the first time in eight years. They’ve got two guys in Conley and Gasol that are way too talented not to want to be involved in postseason play.
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Unfortunately, and probably maddeningly, most of the reasons the Grizzlies might see their postseason streak come to an end fall outside of their players’ control. Such is life in the NBA though. Every season has its end. Don’t be surprised if this is the year that Memphis’ playoff window closes.