9. Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane
Imagine how much higher this ranking could’ve been if the Memphis Grizzlies’ top player stopped getting into a myriad of legal troubles. Those issues detracted from last season and will hurt Memphis badly to start the year.
Ja Morant is one of the most exciting, dynamic young players in the league. He’s a wizard on the court, able to make acrobatic, logic-defying moves every time he touches the ball, whether it’s a zany pass or being on the receiving end of an alley-oop.
He’s also going to spend the first 25 games of the upcoming season away from the team, suspended due to violations of the NBA’s conduct policy. The Grizzlies should stay afloat in his absence, which will also make fans’ heart grow fond for their controversial point guard.
Luckily, his other trio members should be on the court and making an impact. The fact that they’re all still young should give Grizzlies fans hope that this Big 3 could become one of the best in the NBA in no time.
Jaren Jackson Jr. is the prototypical big man. JJJ just turned 24 years old and is coming off his first Defensive Player of the Year campaign after leading the league in blocks for the second straight year. He averaged a career-high 18.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, shooting 50.6 percent from the field.
Desmond Bane will take on the biggest scoring load in Morant’s absence. One of the best three-point shooters in the league – hitting at least 40 percent of his threes in each of his first three seasons – just signed the largest contract in franchise history. He averaged 21.5 points and 5 rebounds per game last year.
The potential is there for Memphis’ Big 3 to be the best in the NBA sooner rather than later.