Core 4 takeaways from the 2023-24 season
What can be taken away from the Memphis Grizzlies' campaign in the 2023-24 season?
The Memphis Grizzlies turned out totally different than expected. Ja Morant’s 25-game suspension and Brandon Clarke’s achilles injury already put behind the 8-ball to kick off the season then injuries started to pile on top of each other. As the light at the end of the tunnel emerged, the season was slammed shut with 3 massive injuries to Morant, Desmond Bane, and Marcus Smart.
From there, it’s like the saying goes… when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Veterans still played and returned (in the case for Bane and Clarke), but the Grizzlies ultimately pivoted towards player development and asset management. Everything became about setting the runway towards a 2024-25 bounce-back campaign.
With that said, there were several items to take from this season, and they all intersect with the goal of making the 2024-25 season the year for the Grizzlies.
There’s only so much you can do with injuries…
The Grizzlies were snake-bitten with injuries, and that metaphor might be an understatement.
Ja Morant was out for all but 9 games. Brandon Clarke, Marcus Smart, and Steven Adams (when he was here) missed a large chunk of the season. Desmond Bane was out for half of the season, as was Luke Kennard.
It led to roster imbalance. They were short of guards and traditional bigs, forcing wings and forwards to play more unnatural roles.
In addition, everything felt clunky, because their primary playmakers were hurt. It trickled down to everything else. The offense could look rough at times, specifically in the halfcourt, because they couldn’t create the same looks. The players orchestrating the offense don’t generate the same level of attention as Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and even Marcus Smart.
However, all wasn’t totally lost. The team, more often than not, competed each and every night — I know there was a stretch at the beginning of the year when that wasn’t the case, and Marcus Smart berated the team about it, but I do think Morant’s absence for the suspension affected the psyche of the team. Because they fought each and every night, players made the most of the opportunity (more on that, shortly). The level of competitiveness and preparation is a testament to Taylor Jenkins and the coaching staff.
More than anything this season, there’s only so much the team can do when it comes to injuries and performance.
The Grizzlies found some answers on the wing
At the beginning of the season, opportunities on the wing were for the taking — a starting spot in Morant’s absence, prominent bench minutes, and more responsibilities. Injuries to Smart and Kennard opened up more minutes in November, December.
Vince Williams snatched the first opportunity by the horns.
Then, in the brutal week that saw Morant, Smart, and Bane go down for an extended priority, opportunities arose for all the young wings to develop and get a lot of reps.
19-year-old GG Jackson shined through the storm there.
Jackson and Williams have locked themselves in alongside the core, and building upon their seasons could potentially etch either of them next to the core.
You also can’t push Jake LaRavia’s performance aside too, whose healthy stretch to close the season was certainly encouraging. After arriving in Memphis at the trade deadline, Lamar Stevens produce, and now his free agency is at least a conversation this summer.
And it creates offseason questions for the other wings. Two names to watch for are Ziaire Williams and John Konchar. They had fine seasons — Williams was inconsistent but had flashes, and Konchar was reliable as usual. However, other guys have emerged into, or above them, the pecking order. Their salaries ($6M each) could be packaged together or separately to further bolster this roster. Given the influx of wings, and the team’s cap situation, it’s difficult to see both players staying.
The Grizzlies have a better understanding of their younger wings now, and it should allow Zach Kleiman to adjust the roster accordingly.
The growth for Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. will pay off
Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. were thrusted into featured roles in the absence of Ja Morant — and if you compound it with Marcus Smart’s injuries, there’s even more playmaking responsibilities on their plate. They passed with flying colors.
Time cut short due to an ankle injury, Bane grew into a multi-faceted offensive weapon, evolving his game to endure heightened defensive pressure.
Jackson has continued to transform into a mismatch nightmare — particularly in the post and in isolation situations. This season, he made a legitimate playmaking leap — increasing his assist percentage by nearly 10 points (4.8% to 13.3%, now in the 72nd percentile among bigs, per Cleaning the Glass).
While there were growing pains from a wins and losses standpoint, this season was paramount for Bane and Jackson as stars next to Ja Morant.
Upside in that 6-3 stretch
The Grizzlies had Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane in the fold for just 9 games and rattled off a 6-3 record. Including this week’s play-in participants, they were 5-2 against playoff opponents. Even factor in Marcus Smart’s return as well, and the two games played after Morant’s season-ending injury, the Grizzlies were 8-4 since the end of the suspension — and 7-3 against playoff opponents (Morant missed a game in Denver due to illness in this span).
They were firing on all cylinders. Morant opens up a sea of dynamics for the Grizzlies’ offense. It’s even easier to get into the paint, leading to Morant dissecting the defense as a playmaker and a scorer. Defensive attention shifts off Bane and Jackson, as now Morant commands the primary focus of opponents. Role players get way easier looks when a player of Morant’s gravity is on the floor.
And while it’s going to be at the forefront of the discussion, do you want to know who the 2 centers in the rotation were for this stretch? Bismack Biyombo and Xavier Tillman. It doesn’t even include Brandon Clarke or a player the Grizzlies may try to sign this offseason.
At the same time, it also highlights how all these discussions — the starting small forward spot, the center target they ultimately land, or the answer with how they use the draft pick — aren’t paramount in the grand scheme of things. Ultimately what matters is having the Big 3 — Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr — healthy and available. Because of them, the upside is sky high.
With these takeaways, it all stems and intersects into their trajectory towards next season — and beyond.
Even with the upside of having the Big 3 in the fold, integration and acclimation will take place. GG Jackson and Vince Williams will have to adjust to play next to all of Morant, Bane, and Jackson. There’s not a ton of data with Marcus Smart, last summer’s big acquisition. Luke Kennard, a nice offensive fit next to a slashing guard like Morant, has only played 200 minutes with him across a season and a half. That’s not even including a new big man coming via draft, trade, or free agency arriving next season. So a bunch of players will be feeling each other out, because the data has a low sample.
In addition, it’s up to Taylor Jenkins and the coaching staff to continue maximizing Bane and Jackson with Morant back in the mix. Those 2 guys — along with the rest of the core — progressed in meaningful ways this season. It should allow for more offensive diversification with their looks. These 3 should lay the foundation down for a good halfcourt offense for a team that’s been in the bottom-10 in this department the past 5 seasons. Jenkins’ infrastructure for player development and defense has been superb, but the Grizzlies really need to take a leap with halfcourt offense.
At the end of the day, it goes back to the first takeaway — “there’s only so much you can do with injuries.” The Grizzlies have championship upside, but they need their Big 3 together for these goals to be a reality. They can upgrade the roster with its resources, but it all revolves around Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Take the 2022 playoffs for example. Ja Morant went down against the Golden State Warriors in Game 3. They still had Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. flanked by the deepest team of this era — starting-level big men (Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke), defensive stalwarts on the wing (Dillon Brooks, Kyle Anderson, and De’Anthony Melton), and the best backup point guard in the league stepping in to run the ship (Tyus Jones). However, their superstar’s absence was felt and led to the season’s end.
Even if it was for just a small fraction of the season, the Memphis Grizzlies reminded people of how devastating this team can be when fully healthy. And everything that transpired this season can hopefully better position for their goals to become a reality next season.
If you choose to support my Substack, SubTsakalidis — aka “SubTsak” — follow this link to my Allie’s Allies St. Jude fundraiser page. If you choose to subscribe, all proceeds will go towards St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.