Memphis Grizzlies 2022-23 Season Review

We're good in the West... Right?

Season Recap:

Memphis finished the regular season with the second-best record in the West, but the playoffs didn’t go as well as it does for most No. 2 teams. They lost to the Lakers in the first round in six games. It was a disappointing end to a strange season. From the Dillon Brooks trash talk to Ja Morant’s off-the-court incidents, there was always something going on in Memphis. The summer hasn’t even gotten off to a great start for them either, which we’ll get into. Despite the turmoil, the pieces of a bright young core are still there. We’ll see if they can turn it around next season.

Dynasty Relevant Players:

Ja Morant

While this may not impact his long-term value, it’s worth noting that Morant could face a suspension from the league after being seen on Instagram Live flashing a gun just a few months after a similar incident. As far as what he does on the court, Morant isn’t as good in fantasy as he is in real life. He is one of the best point guards in the league, but he was only 92nd in 9-cat scoring according to Basketball Monster. He’s not a great shooter, and he really only contributes great value with points and assists. There’s also the concern of his health. With how aggressive and athletic he is, he’s always at risk to miss some games, even if he tends to recover quickly. He’s still a coveted asset, and he’s better in points leagues than category leagues, but Morant’s on-court dominance just doesn’t translate to fantasy.

Tyus Jones

Jones has one more year on his contract, which means he has one more year as the best streaming option in the league when Morant is out of the lineup. When he gets the chance, he proves that he’s good enough to be a starting point guard in the NBA, and he should be able to get that role for a different team if he chooses to leave next summer. Acquiring him now could pay off, especially if Morant does end up facing a lengthy suspension.

Desmond Bane

After coming into the league as an older rookie, Bane ascended into fantasy stardom in just his second year in the league, which continued in his third. The question now is how much better can he get? He finished 36th in 9-cat scoring for the second straight season. He can be a top-50 guy for the next 10 years, but I don’t see him as a player that enters into second round production. His numbers didn’t change by much when Morant wasn’t in the lineup. Top-50 production for a decade makes him an elite fantasy asset, and his consistency is key. Who knows, maybe he’ll finish exactly 36th until he retires.

Luke Kennard

Want threes? Kennard can provide. Want anything else? Gotta look elsewhere. He’s an elite shooter and carved out a role with the Grizzlies down the stretch. He nearly posted top-100 numbers after joining Memphis because he was hitting 3.1 triples per game. Assuming he retains his role next season, he can be an intriguing option in deep leagues. But only if you need threes.

Dillon Brooks

We already know that Brooks won’t be back with the Grizzlies. What actually happened is unclear, but there were reports that he wanted a larger offensive role. Whether or not he finds that is unclear, but a team is going to get an elite defender with a chip on his shoulder in free agency. He should be able to find a job as a starter next season, but he just isn’t going to ever be a real contributor in fantasy basketball.

Jaren Jackson Jr.

The best fantasy asset in Memphis. JJJ is a generational shot blocker and a capable shooter from deep. He finished as a first round value for the first time in his career this past season, but he’s never finished outside the top-100. Foul trouble has plagued him in the past, but he was able to play a career-high 29.1 minutes per game this season. He may not continue to average three blocks per game for the next decade, but he has a versatile game and will be very good for a long time.

Brandon Clarke

Clarke’s season ended early after he tore his Achilles in March. He’ll likely miss time to start next season, but when he’s healthy, he’s shown that he can contribute decent value despite coming off the bench. He’s been great when he’s gotten the chance to start, but he just signed a new contract, so it’s unlikely that he gets the chance to do that with Jackson Jr. in front of him. He’ll be 31 when this contract expires, and while there’s time for a lot to happen, it’s unlikely as of now that he ever gets a large enough role to be a consistent top-100 player.

Santi Aldama

Aldama showed some promise this season. He averaged 10.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.1 blocks and 1.4 threes per game. There’s not a clear path to a starting job right now, but he’s still so young. He’s worth keeping around as an injury streamer, and hopefully he’ll become a starter one day.

Steven Adams

Memphis missed Adams in the playoffs against the Lakers as they struggled to compete on the glass at times. He provides rebounds, boards and a solid field goal percentage for fantasy managers, but it doesn’t translate to great fantasy value. Adams should stick around for a couple more seasons at least, but unless you can deal with the poor free throw shooting, Adams doesn’t hold much value in dynasty leagues.

Other guys to stash

The Grizzlies have a number of young prospects that are worth stashing that haven’t played a ton yet that I want to highlight. Xavier Tillman was very solid as the starting center down the stretch and into the playoffs. When Adams is back in the lineup, Tillman will likely see minutes in the teens off the bench. However, he showed promise with his performance at the end of the season. Jake LaRavia had a lot of potential coming into the league and should eventually get the chance to display it. Like LaRavia, Kenneth Lofton Jr. spent a good portion of the season in the G-League. Lofton ended up scoring 42 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in game 82. However, he isn’t going to play 48 minutes and see that large of an offensive role when the Grizzlies are trying to win games. David Roddy ended up playing a solid role off the bench as a rookie, and even if he didn’t contribute much for fantasy,