Memphis Grizzlies: 5 takeaways from 2017-18 Media Day
By Greg Cassoli
1. Good health
Staying healthy may be the single most important factor in determining the Grizzlies’ level of success this year. More than a third of the team’s roster has sustained a season-ending injury at some point in their career, and all of Chandler Parsons, Tyreke Evans, and Mario Chalmers trio will be playing in the NBA for the first time since incurring such a physical misfortune. There is a ton riding on their respective recoveries.
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Early outlooks on all of Memphis’ injury risks appear to be good. According to the Commercial Appeal‘s Ronald Tillery, Chandler Parsons, the player whom the Grizzlies’ season may be riding on the most, is playing 5-on-5 basketball, and is expected to participate in training camp without restriction. If Parsons can play a full year at even 80 percent of what he was in Dallas, Memphis’ ceiling shifts considerably (though still not into meaningful contention).
He’s not the only one to make significant progress either. In an interview with Grizzlies.com, Fizdale remarked on the progress that Evans and Chalmers had made specifically.
“Mario’s been here, and Tyreke’s been here, and these guys are rolling,” he said. “These guys just ran the conditioning test, which is not easy, and they passed it. And they passed it easy.”
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Having both players at full strength would go a long way towards increasing Memphis’ depth. It’s easy, of course, to remain healthy throughout the offseason. The real test will come with the grind of the regular season game, but positive signs in the interim provide reason for hope.