Memphis Grizzlies: A brief look into the future of the franchise
By Aymin Bakr
An aging core
As previously stated, the Memphis Grizzlies have never been known as a team with top-loaded firepower. From 2010-17, an under-the-radar core of Mike Conley, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph — along with the help of some deep reserve units and good coaching — rallied seven consecutive playoff appearances, including three trips to the semifinals and a trip to the conference finals.
Unfortunately, although much success and excitement came from these teams, they were never able to make the desired push into an NBA Finals appearance. While Randolph has since departed, Conley and Gasol remain and are still playing high-level basketball. Unfortunately, their time left is short.
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While the team is still very deep, Conley’s absence last season proved that it’s hard to compete without the two remaining pieces of their previously successful core. Now that they have both of their All-Star caliber players back in action, continued depth and an intriguing and talent-filled young prospect, they’re winning games as expected.
This success, however can only go on for so long. As good as Conley and Gasol are, they’re not going to be All-Star caliber players for much longer given their age. If they couldn’t make it to the Finals with the Grit-N-Grind roster back in 2013, there isn’t too much hope now in a league virtually dominated by the modern-day super-team.
The 31-year-old Conley is still averaging an impressive 19.2 points, 5.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game with a decent amount of high-level play left in him for at least a few more years, but Gasol is steadily on the decline.
Not to say the 34-year-old isn’t productive, but he’s only got so much left in the tank. Similar to his brother Pau at the same age, Marc Gasol is still putting up solid stats. However, also much like his brother, we may see a significant decline a year or two down the road.
As proven by the 2017-18 season, it’s hard for this team to be competitive without one of the tandem. Once Conley and Gasol are on their way out, the Grizzlies are going to need to devise a backup plan. What they have in mind right now, unfortunately, may not be all that effective just yet.