James Ennis III

Memphis Grizzlies: The NBA's Most Unlikely Playoff Contender

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 8:37 p.m. ET

Fansided, Simon Smith/FanSided via Hoops Habit

The Memphis Grizzlies have been one of the biggest surprise packages to this point of the NBA season.

Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies have defied almost all logic in the midst of their early-season success, in particular, their recent six-game winning streak. Point guard Mike Conley, signed to the largest contract in NBA history this offseason, has missed the past nine games.

Their other prime free-agent acquisition, small forward Chandler Parsons, has appeared in just six of the Grizzies’ 27 games. Furthermore, the team has transitioned into the hands of a new head coach, former Miami Heat assistant David Fizdale.

So despite these early-season obstacles, the Grizzlies find themselves with a 18-9 record. This places them fifth in the Western Conference. It is simply an amazing accomplishment.

Over their past eight games, veteran guard Tony Allen has been the team’s third-leading scorer with 12.9 points per game. Allen has been a staple on defence throughout his career and basically an afterthought on offence.

This offensive production from Allen shows just how impressive this early season form has been in Memphis.

Aside from the absences of Conley and Parsons, the Grizzlies have also been without the services of another pair of veterans. Forward Zach Randolph has missed seven games, including the first three games of this current winning streak, after the death of his mother.

And then there is the ageless Vince Carter, who has missed the past seven games with a hip injury.

With this all being the case, many people have wondering — who are all these no-names stepping up for the Grizzlies?

Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

New Faces

If you mentioned the names JaMychal Green, James Ennis and Andrew Harrison, many people wouldn’t know who they are or where they played. But these three Grizzlies are ranked third, fourth and fifth for the Grizzlies in minutes per game for the season.

Green is in his third season with the Grizzlies and Ennis his second. Harrison is a second-round pick in his rookie season. Ennis himself has been a victim of the injury bug, missing the past 13 games with a calf injury.

The recent winning streak has also see an influx of other unlikely contributors. Troy Daniels, in his first season with the Grizzlies, was he teams second leading scorer in this stretch at 16.5 points per game.

This included back-to-back performances against the Los Angeles Lakers and New Orleans Pelicans which featured a total of 60 points and 13 made three-pointers at a 56.5 percent clip.

The aforementioned Green has been very consistent all season. But he stepped it up a notch in their winning stretch, posting 10.3 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. Most notably, Green has been a plus-11.2 when on the floor.

Also as touched upon earlier, some old faces have steadied the ship during this winning streak and helped keep the Grizzlies above water. Guard Tony Allen has been an unexpected contributor on the offensive end.

After posting 7.7 points per game on 41.2 percent shooting over his first 12 games of the season, Allen contributed 13.2 on 55.7 percent shooting while also being a team-best plus-11.7 when on the floor.

Further, veteran forward Zach Randolph returned from personal issues to play the last three games of this streak. In just 19.8 minutes per game, Randolph averaged 11 points and 10 rebounds.

But it’s the lesser lights that have stood out. Green came to the Grizzlies undrafted. Ennis returned to the NBA via the Grizzlies after playing a season in Australia. Daniels was also undrafted and is on his fourth team in four NBA seasons.

Troy Williams, an undrafted rookie, has been another contributor. He posted 7.0 points and 26.7 minutes per game during this stretch.

These contributions from some very unheralded players is not only a testament to the players themselves, but also Fizdale and the environment which he has created in his debut season.

Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Man In The Middle

But as impressive as these performances has been, none of the impressive early season form would be possible without Marc Gasol. Despite the absence of point guard Mike Conley, Gasol has taken his game to another level over the past eight games.

The two-time All-Star has averaged 24.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.7 blocks and 1.5 assists in 34.4 minutes per game. But if you break down the numbers further over the past eight games, Gasol’s contributions and value can be even greater understood.

Offensive Rating (Points per 100 possessions)

Gasol on the floor: 106.0
Gasol off the floor: 87.3

Defensive Rating (Opposition points per 100 possessions)

Gasol on the floor: 88.2
Gasol off the floor: 103.7

Gasol’s efficiency has simply been tremendous. He has shot 52.1 percent from the field and an amazing 53.8 percent from behind three these past eight games.. Prior to this season, Gasol had made a total of 12 three-pointers over eight seasons.

This season alone Gasol has made 41 three-pointers at an incredible 45.6 percent clip.

Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

Topping The Warriors

The Grizzlies recent hot streak culminated in a demolition job the reigning Western Conference champion Golden State Warriors. Memphis started on fire, leading 31-16 after the first period and coasted to a 110-89 victory.

As has been the case with the Grizzlies over the course of the season, the team as a whole contributed to undoubtedly their best win of the season. Seven players scored in double figures, with Gasol and Allen leading the way with 19 points apiece.

When Conley went down with a back injury, many writers and people around the league felt the Grizzlies would not be able maintain their standing. With an 11-7 record when Conley went down, the Grizzlies would no doubt have been hoping to stay around the .500 mark.

Considering Conley is expected to miss up to two months, this is a reasonable goal. However, not only has this collection of unknowns gained valuable on-court experience moving forward, they have propelled the team up the current standings.

Sure, it’s unclear how sustainable this current form is from such an inexperienced group. One thing though that has stood out over this impressive stretch is their defense.

Prior to their winning streak, Memphis was already ranked first in the league in defensive rating, allowing 99.5 points per 100 possessions. But they ramped this up to allowing just 94.2 points per 100 possessions over the past eight games.

This has been critical, as the Grizzlies offense has been virtually identical. This is completely understandable given the quality of players missing.

In Conley and Parsons, the Grizzlies have $247 million worth of contracts waiting to return. However, this is not likely for another several weeks. In the meantime, Memphis has an increasingly difficult schedule.

The remainder of December includes games against the Boston Celtics (twice), Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder.

However as we have seen over the past couple of weeks, the Grizzlies have an incredibly resilient group of players. This resilience will be stretched to its maximum over the coming weeks.