【login stake】NBA Contenders and Pretenders: Who’s Poised for a Deep Playoff Run?

Last season was a year to forget for Memphis, with the club missing the playoffs for the first time in four seasons after posting a 27-55 record. Not wanting to further the bad taste in the Grizzlies’ mouths into this year’s postseason, the group will need to find ways to score the basketball without superstar Ja Morant.

Dealing with a flurry of injuries, Morant has played in only 43 of Memphis’ 71 games. The Grizzlies are 28-15 with Morant, and 15-13 without him. The thrilling sixth-year guard has missed Memphis’ last four games with a hamstring injury and currently has no timetable for a return. The Grizzlies have dropped three in a row and have mustered just 41 and 42 second-half points, respectively, in the last two losses against the Trail Blazers and Clippers.

At 43-28, Memphis has still played well enough to find itself in the fifth spot in the West, but just 2½ games separate the group from the play-in tournament — an event the Grizzlies don’t want to find themselves in, especially without Morant’s help.