Memphis Grizzlies: 3 goals for the rest of the season

1. Find some consistency, find a plan

Looking at the Grizzlies’ games over the last few weeks, the results have been anything but consistent. Wins against the New Orleans Pelicans, Los Angeles Lakers, Blazers and a blowout win against the Dallas Mavericks are overshadowed by two losses to the Chicago Bulls, a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and two close losses against the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.

The team’s net rating is 11th in the league over their last 10 games, yet they have dropped six of those 10, making the Grizz the only team with a positive net rating to be in the losing column over that stretch.

It’s hard to gauge the potential success of this team when many nights they look completely different from the night before. While fans and management would certainly like to see more wins than losses to close out the year, it’s hard to predict their remaining games looking at their schedule.

They do have some “big” games coming up against fellow mid-lottery opponents. The team plays the Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic and Dallas Mavericks (twice). It’s going to come down to the wire as to where the Grizzlies’ draft lottery odds will land.

But this year is already a lost cause on the court. What about moving forward?

It’s difficult to judge the team’s future plans and where exactly they are going by the moves at the trade deadline, shipping off franchise icon Marc Gasol and bringing back a range of decent players. The moves neither propelled them to tanking land nor close to the playoff fringes.

The “young asset” acquired in the trade, Delon Wright, is just four years younger than Mike Conley and will turn 27 before next year starts. While Wright has had flashes of offensive savvy and defensive wherewithal, it’s hard to peg him as the point guard of the future when he’s creeping toward 30.

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Additionally, the Grizz didn’t shave a lot of salary off. That could change if the team decides to clean house this summer, dealing Mike Conley or other players. But are they going to make that decision?

This is a team that holds onto tradition, sometimes a little too long. The perfect window to have traded both Conley and Gasol was probably 2-3 years ago and now the team is stuck in mediocrity, having received a trade return that was nothing to write home about.

What happens with this Boston pick is the next big hurdle. If the Grizzlies don’t convey this year, are they going to want to try and convey next year? The pick is top-6 protected, so if it doesn’t convey again, it goes to the Celtics no matter what in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Is that pick going to hang over management’s heads, or are they just trying to go and rebuild without thinking about the pick? Memphis doesn’t figure to have a lot of cap space next season, still having Valanciunas, Parsons and Conley all on the books. The summer of 2020 could see them being spenders in the free agency market, but so will many other teams.

In addition, the 2020 free agent class is, at this moment, very weak. The big headliners are…Derrick Favors? Fred VanVleet? Montrezl Harrell? Eric Gordon? Draymond Green? Malcolm Miller? (Just kidding.)

It seems the most logical step is to commit to a rebuild, but that is something management has always been super hesitant about. Maybe this summer will provide a better hint as to where the Memphis Grizzlies are going, but right now they seem to be utterly directionless.