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The Memphis Grizzlies had a successful 2020-21 NBA season considering that they managed to qualify for the NBA Playoffs despite having a young roster. The Grizzlies fought through despite long-term injuries to the likes of Jonas Valanciunas and Jaren Jackson Jr. and took a difficult path to the playoffs after finishing eighth in the NBA Western Conference.
The Grizzlies won't be too worried, and know that a couple of acquisitions in the off-season might as well empower them to a deep playoff run the next time around. In this article, we look at three offseason needs that the Memphis Grizzlies need to address in the coming offseason.
2021 NBA off-season: 3 needs the Memphis Grizzlies need to address
The Memphis Grizzlies do not look to be in need of making large-scale roster changes, and have multiple young players who are expected to improve over the coming time. Jonas Valanciunas did not have the best of the season at center but is expected to make a strong return for the 2021-22 season. With the likes of Ja Morant and Dillon Brookes leading an otherwise young roster, we're looking at three offseason needs the Memphis Grizzlies need to address in the coming offseason.
#1 Releasing dead weight
The Memphis Grizzlies have decent cap space to potentially get a role player/starter, and have in Justise Winslow a contract that they will be looking to get rid of. The Memphis Grizzlies in recent weeks have been linked to potential scoring options, as the roster lacks a top-class scorer that they can rely on.
For such a move to happen, the Grizzlies will need to release Justise Winslow along with potentially Tim Frazier and might look at other internal players who can act as potential trade assets. The likes of Gorgui Deng and Jonas Valanciunas have also been linked to moves, although getting rid of the latter will bring about a need to get in a starting center as well.
#2 Going into the free agency market
The coming offseason should result in multiple free agents that the Memphis Grizzlies can look at. Apart from a proven scorer, the Grizzlies also look a bit short on rim protectors and might as well go in for three and D players who can come off the bench.
The free agency market is set to include the likes of DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball and Duncan Robinson, all players who will vastly improve the Memphis Grizzlies’ roster if acquired. Finally, bringing in an experienced former veteran such as Kyle Lowry might also be on the cards, with the Grizzlies one of the teams who were initially linked with Lowry before the March trade deadline. Regardless, the Memphis Grizzlies have multiple areas that they can improve via the free agency market in the offseason.
#3 Adding three-point shooters
As mentioned above, the Memphis Grizzlies’ most important need for the upcoming season appears to be adding three-point shooters to the roster. The Grizzlies were the joint second last among NBA teams when it came to three-point shooting, doing slightly better than the Washington Wizards at around 33%.
Additionally, apart from Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson, who are expected to improve their offensive output in the coming time, no other player looks capable of producing more than 20 points per game through an entire season. The Grizzlies’ lack of elite shooters cost them through the play-in tournament and was one of the biggest reasons why they were dominated by the Utah Jazz, a team that has a strong interior defense. Regardless, the Memphis Grizzlies only need to add a few shooting options apart from improving their perimeter defense in order to have a vastly improved roster for next season.
