Memphis Grizzlies: 5 keys to making the playoffs in 2017-18
By Greg Cassoli
1. Health
The injury risk across Memphis’ roster is immense. Of the Grizzlies’ 15 roster spots, four are likely to be filled by players coming off of season-ending injuries (Chandler Parsons, Mario Chalmers, Tyreke Evans and Brandan Wright). Two more will be occupied by players that have a history of serious injury (Conley and Gasol), and one by a player that is currently injured (Ben McLemore).
That’s slightly less than half the team.
Let that sink in for a minute. Close to 50 percent of Memphis’ roster is worth having a relatively significant degree of concern about, from a health perspective. It’s a truth that introduces an incredible amount of variability into the Grizzlies’ season. If everyone goes down, they could be the worst team in basketball. If no one gets hurt for an extended period of time, they might end up in the playoffs.
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Those are two pretty extreme outcomes, and the more likely scenario lies somewhere in between. It’s not realistic to think that everyone that is at risk for injury is going to get hurt, but it’d be foolish not to discount one’s expectations of the Grizzlies a bit, given the track records of the players on this team’s roster. It’s hard to imagine anything having more of an impact on Memphis’ success this year.