Memphis Grizzlies: 2018-19 NBA season preview
By Luke Swiatek
Storyline 1: What’s the Memphis Grizzlies’ identity?
For the better part of this century, the Memphis Grizzlies’ identity could be summed up succinctly: Grit ‘N Grind.
Even if those weren’t the words used the whole time, everyone still knew that this team was all about playing hard-nosed, in-your-face, physical defense. Players like Conley, Gasol, Zach Randolph and Tony Allen proved that a whole city can fall in love with defense more than offense.
Of course, those days are gone. In 2016, new head coach David Fizdale attempted to emphasize shooting more. Allen and Z-Bo, the two toughest pit bulls on the team, left in 2017. Fizdale was fired less than 20 games into the 2017-18 season, and J.B. Bickerstaff took over. Now, he’s the real head coach, not just the interim one.
Even with 63 games of film on him though, it’s still not clear exactly what he wants. The recent unstable ownership of the Grizzlies is certainly a factor in this, and it’s not all Bickerstaff’s fault, but he’ll need to put a lasting culture in this year for the season to be successful. The Grizzlies just don’t have any one thing they’re great at right now; they’re one of many teams that are just average at a lot of things.
Will Bickerstaff stay true to the last decade of Grizzlies history, follow Fizdale’s path (which ended up with him getting fired), or blaze a new trail? Only time will tell definitively, but the answer could affect the Grizzlies for a long time into the future.