Preseason NBA Power Rankings: Philadelphia 76ers look like Eastern Elite

24. Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies may be one of the hardest teams to evaluate in the entire NBA going into the 2018-2019 NBA regular season.

Last season, the team was a mess, firing then-head coach David Fizdale 19 games into the season (7-12) in route to an atrocious 22-60 regular season record, but a lot of that had to do with internet conflicts and a slew of injuries, as opposed to a true lack of talent.

Though the team obviously lost some of their identity after moving on from aging franchise cornerstones like Tony Allen and Zach Randolf, this offseason, now official head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has made it a point of bringing the Grit and Grind back to Memphis, adding a trio of potential hard-nosed starters to the team’s roster in the form of Jaren Jackson Jr. with the fourth overall pick, ex-Spurs standout Kyle Anderson in free agency, and Garrett Temple in a trade with the Kings.

It’s safe to say the Grizzlies aren’t going to miss Ben McLemore anytime soon.

While this is far from a potent offensive team, the Grizzlies are establishing an identity, and betting on undervalued players to step up into more substantial roles in a scheme that perfectly suits their rough and tumble attitude.

But will this Moneyball philosophy finally return the Grizzlies to the NBA playoffs now that Mike Conley is back to full strength? Who knows, but it’s certainly a storyline to watch both in the forthcoming season, and over the next few years.