In the sports world, a patient organizational approach is challenging. With the ultimate goal of winning a championship, playing the waiting game rarely co-exists with a competitive nature. Players and fans alike want to win now, and convincing them to embrace the “wait and see” methodology during opportunities to improve (hypothetically) is not easy. However, for the Memphis Grizzlies, that is how they must enter the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline.
One of the NBA’s youngest teams, Memphis’s average age sits at just 24-years-old. The Western Conference’s third-best team, the Grizzlies are 35-18 through 53 games, riding its youthful core and surpassing most expectations.
Of course, whenever a team exceeds expectations, an aura of excitement surrounds the expectations. Memphis’s excellent drafting and development created a roster to compete for a championship eventually. However, with the team moving ahead of schedule, why not push all the chips to the center of the table now? The answer is quite simple. It is simply not the time.
Grizzlies can win while remaining patient
Ever since Memphis embarked on a rebuild, they committed to the long-term view, building through the draft. Though a risky move that does not always pan out, it is working for the Grizzlies. In just his third season, Ja Morant is already a star and Memphis’s “face of the franchise” for the foreseeable future. Averaging 26.4 points and 6.8 assists a game, Morant already sits comfortably among the NBA’s top five point guards while still not in the prime of his career.
Desmond Bane, a second-year guard out of TCU, is coming into his own quickly as well. Posting 18.1 points a game, Bane promptly assumed the role of Memphis’s sharpshooter, solidifying the Grizzlies backcourt for this new era. Add in big man Jaren Jackson Jr., and the franchise essentially has its core already established.
BANE BLOCK ➡️ JA WINDMILL
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 30, 2022
SHOWTIME IN MEMPHIS ? pic.twitter.com/fkPc3GP0Ul
Morant, Bane, and Jackson Jr. are not the only promising young talent on this team either. The Grizzlies possess valuable youthful pieces like Dillon Brooks, Ziaire Williams, and De’Anthony Melton (to name a few). Of course, Memphis won’t be able to hold onto all of them. But why not see what you have on your current roster while continuing to produce victories? It’s not like finishing the year third in the Western Conference is something to hang your head about.
Not quite championship level
Yes, the Grizzlies provide a fantastic story for the 2021-22 season with a bright future ahead of them. But when you start to take a deeper look, are they quite at the level of the genuine contenders yet? The answer is no.
Although Memphis has beaten both the Phoenix Suns and the Golden State Warriors this season, expecting them to best one of those teams in a playoff series seems unrealistic. Even if they somehow escaped the West, are the Grizzlies at a place where they could confidently eliminate the top teams in the Eastern Conference and win a title? Again, the answer is no, and that is okay. Memphis’s time will come soon enough. If they were somehow able to steal an NBA Championship this season, it only seems right they do it as the young underdogs anyway.
There’s always summertime
The trade deadline should be a relatively uneventful period for Memphis. Even with the excitement, this season provides, management’s patient approach will likely hold.
That does not mean that the Grizzlies should altogether avoid firing their shot and going for it eventually. The 2022 offseason seems like the perfect time to do so. With plenty of draft capital, contract decisions to make, and a better understanding of this group’s ceiling, expect Memphis to remove themselves from the patient crowd and take some swings this summer.
For more NBA content, please follow me on Twitter. Also please follow Belly Up Sports for all the latest sports news.
