In the rings culture that now encompasses the average NBA fandom, success has been redefined. It’s not enough to make the playoffs and field a competitive team anymore. Fans either no longer recognize the nuance of the game outside of postseason success, or they quite frankly don’t care. Over the course of a regular season, the true contenders for the Larry O’Brien trophy are easy to spot. Over the last five years or so, only a handful of teams have had some familiarity with that ‘contender’ tag. The San Antonio Spurs, the Los Angeles Clippers, past iterations of the Oklahoma City Thunder, any LeBron James led teams, and the recent empire of the Golden State Warriors have dominated title contention. The fans of those teams expect nothing less than a season that ends no earlier than June, and rightfully so.
What about the teams with talent and stability that haven’t necessarily been a top challenger for the title? Can they not be considered a success in the minds of fans? What about the Memphis Grizzlies. Have they not done enough to garner respect?
This small-market team with big, lovable personalities has been a successful franchise for over half a decade. Since the second year under Lionel Hollins, Memphis has made the playoffs six years in a row—winning over 50% of their regular season games. The fans of the grit and grind team know full well of what they have in their city and they are proud of them. For the not so keen fan, the team simply isn’t successful. This is ridiculous when in fact, the success that the Memphis Grizzlies have sustained can be a blueprint for most teams in the NBA. Over the years, the Memphis grizzlies have had solid to very good seasons. These seasons are defined by a type of consistency that a large part of the NBA cannot compare with.
Success On The Court
While not a big free agent destination, the Memphis Grizzlies organization makes sure to let the players on the roster know that they are the stars of the city. Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, and Tony Allen make up the core four of the franchise and are pillars of the team. The star power of Gasol and Conley—Gasol in particular—gives this team a chance to play in the postseason every year.
Conley has been a valuable asset for the team. He’s never been an all-star, but he has been a steady and important hand for the grizzlies franchise and was given a 5-year $153 million a year deal as a reward for that. Once dubbed as the most underrated player in the league, Conley is having a career year in points per game, true shooting, assist percentage, and PER. Part of the success of the Grizzlies this season is due to him averaging over 20 points a game for the first time in his career.
Gasol has evolved into such an offensive threat over the course of his career. Usually one for the 16-18 foot shot, Gasol has worked his way out to three point line and has been uber efficient. The three-time all-star has averaged under one attempt from behind the arc for his career but increased his attempts to 3 a game this season and is hitting them at a healthy 38%. His three total with the team is franchise leading. His passing is up and his court vision has been one of the best among big men.
That’s what the Grizzlies are—a competitive team that plays high level winning basketball nightly.
The calling card for the Grizzlies for some time now has been defense. Allen, known affectionately as the “GrindFather,” coined the phrase “Grit and Grind”—the moniker for the team’s playing style. The Grind House is a nickname for FedEx Forum. Fans and players deemed it a tough place to play because of the intensity of the defense that seems to feed off the crowd. Since the 2010-11 season, the Grizzlies have been top 10 in the league for defensive rating for 5 of the 6 following seasons. Opposite that, this team has almost never had an offense that rates even in the top 15 in the league in rating.
The Grizz have stayed true to their identity on defense as the league has changed around them. Spacing and shooting have increased in importance, but the team and coaching staffs have stayed true to their own principles. They’ve ranked in the bottom five of the league in three point attempts for the past six seasons. Even as the game has changed around them, they’ve stayed true to their gameplan and have lived with the results.
However, a great marker of success is adaptability. Memphis has been able to keep their core principles while branching out and adding pieces to their game. One notable move was moving Randolph to the bench in favor of JaMychal Green. This move has allowed the Grizzlies to adapt to the new spacing well. The Grizzlies are now 14th in the league in 3-point attempts and hitting them at 35%. Last year, 25th was their highest ranking of the past five seasons. With Randolph off the bench, this allows him to be the focal point of the second unit offense without having to compromise his strengths on offense.
Success in the Community
The Grizzlies organization resonates with their community. This is something that cannot be understated from a basketball team. For all the love the fans give the players, the players do try and show some of that love back. The city as a whole appreciates what the team does for them on the court and in the city. This is success.
Zach Randolph is as equally genuine and giving around the community as he was a brute force on the court. Randolph has won the League’s NBA Community Assist Award multiple times since arriving in Memphis. From helping provide food for the people of Memphis or doing random acts of kindness, Randolph has ingratiated himself with the community. As has the entire Grizzlies franchise.
Today, @MacBo50 surprised 2 families that will benefit from his $20,000 contribution to cover utility payments for more than 100 households? pic.twitter.com/PdYitOA5d2
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) January 23, 2017
The league is in a place that sees it as healthy as its ever been. The times have changed the definition of success. Yet the Memphis Grizzlies continue to sustain success in the face of a changing league. It just all depends on how you define success.
