Memphis Grizzlies: 2018-19 NBA season preview
By Luke Swiatek
Storyline 2: How much do the veterans have left?
The development of secondary players is not of negligible importance, but the NBA is a star-driven league. What remains of the Memphis Grizzlies’ stars is, therefore, one of the most important things the team must determine.
On Sports Illustrated’s Top 100 List for the upcoming season, three Grizzlies made the cut: Mike Conley at No. 36, Marc Gasol at No. 40 and Kyle Anderson at No. 88. Chandler Parsons was nowhere to be seen. It’s tough to make the playoffs without a top-30 player in the league, and a team with lofty goals should honestly have at least one top-15 guy.
At their peaks, the Grizzlies’ stars might be in that conversation, but it’s unlikely that they will reach those heights again. Surely, part of the low rankings for Conley, Gasol, and even Parsons must be age and injury.
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Parsons has played in 70 of a possible 164 regular season games in Memphis, and only started in 42. Conley has played in 55.2 percent of Memphis’s regular season games in the past three years, and missed all but 12 games last season with heel surgery.
Gasol has played in a somewhat consistent 80.9 percent of possible games over the last three seasons, but he’ll turn 34 this season, and his body will break down eventually. Conley is almost 31, and his intense defense will start to age poorly sometime within the next few seasons. If Parsons’ body isn’t shot, he’s almost 30 himself, so it will be soon enough.
If the high-profile veterans on the team can stay healthy and turn back the clock, the team can go to the playoffs. If not, the Memphis Grizzlies will find themselves in the lottery for the second straight year.