
Getty Image
After the team’s best season in nearly a decade, the Memphis Grizzlies entered the 2022-23 campaign with considerable expectations. Memphis was thrust into the contender tier with good reason, and the Grizzlies’ combination of young talent, intriguing depth, and organizational stability was the envy of the league. Memphis didn’t exactly fall flat on its face at the start of the year, but the Grizzlies were just 12-9 at the end of November and just staying afloat rather than dominating the competition.
Since the calendar flipped to December, though, Memphis is the best team in the NBA. The Grizzlies are 18-4 since Dec. 1, outscoring opponents by 10.6 points per 100 possessions. That is the best mark in the league by more than three points, and Memphis is also on the league’s longest active winning streak, picking up 10 victories in a row. The Grizzlies are bludgeoning opponents with a 119.9 offensive rating and a 106.5 defensive rating in that 10-game sample, and Memphis is now projected as the favorite to win the Western Conference by the folks at FiveThirtyEight.
Of course, that doesn’t ensure anything, but the Grizzlies are also looking the part and appearing to be quite scary at full strength. Jaren Jackson Jr. missed the start of the season, but the Grizzlies are allowing only 1.02 points per possession when he’s on the floor, and he’s a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Desmond Bane is also rounding into form, including a 59 percent three-point clip in the last five games, and Ja Morant remains the centerpiece with a superstar level of performance.
The West remains an intriguing and wide-open gauntlet right now, but it certainly wouldn’t be crazy to install the Grizzlies as the favorite to emerge at the end. Memphis just throttled Phoenix by a 30-point margin on a national stage, and the Grizzlies are laying waste to anything in their path at this stage. There is a long way to go but, after a so-so start, Memphis is now rocking and rolling at its highest possible level.
Where do the Grizzlies rank this week in our DIME power rankings? You won’t have to scroll down very far.
1. Memphis Grizzlies (30-13, Last week — 1st)
The Grizzlies host the Cavaliers on Wednesday before heading out on a five-game road trip. Memphis may not continue to win every game, but the Grizzlies are very, very good and they’ve earned this spot.
2. Boston Celtics (33-12, Last week — 2nd)
Boston has the best season-long profile in the league, leading the NBA in net rating and offensive rating. The Celtics are also on a seven-game winning streak, with five of those victories coming on the road. Honestly, there is a good argument for Boston at No. 1 this week, and they are clearly in the top two alongside Memphis.
3. Denver Nuggets (31-13, Last week — 3rd)
All the Nuggets have done is continue to win. Denver is No. 2 in offense and No. 4 in net rating with an active seven-game winning streak. It also helps to have Nikola Jokic, who just put up a 36-12-10 performance on 13-for-14 shooting in a win over Portland. He’s an alien.
4. Philadelphia 76ers (28-16, Last week — 5th)
Philadelphia was 12-12. Now, Philadelphia is 28-16. The 76ers have a +6.8 net rating in the last 20 games and even managed to go 2-1 without Joel Embiid. By the way, Embiid is averaging 35.8 points on 56 percent shooting over the last 11 games.
5. Milwaukee Bucks (29-16, Last week — 6th)
On the court, the Bucks are doing just fine. The big story is Giannis Antetokounmpo missing four straight games and, even after a back-to-back sweep without him, the reality is that Milwaukee is probably drawing dead at the highest levels without Giannis and Khris Middleton available to juice the offense.
6. Cleveland Cavaliers (28-17, Last week — 7th)
Donovan Mitchell is facing a groin issue, which is something to keep an eye on at this stage. Beyond that, Cleveland is hanging around the top tier after a trip to the west that wasn’t great but was bookended with a nice win over New Orleans.
7. Brooklyn Nets (27-16, Last week — 4th)
Out of respect for the full-season profile, Brooklyn doesn’t totally plummet. The Nets aren’t the same without Kevin Durant, though, and Brooklyn has dropped three in a row, including one without Kyrie Irving as well.
8. Sacramento Kings (24-18, Last week — 15th)
The Kings get a big bump on the strength of a winning streak and middling play all around them. Sacramento is on a four-game run, though it is worth noting that the wins came against Orlando, Houston (twice), and San Antonio. All they’re doing is taking care of business.
9. New Orleans Pelicans (26-18, Last week — 9th)
New Orleans is just trying to keep it together without both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. The Pelicans are 15-10 without Ingram and 3-4 without Zion (so far), and that is pretty respectable, all things considered.
10. Miami Heat (24-21, Last week — 11th)
Miami dug a massive hole and lost in Atlanta on Monday. That wasn’t a great performance in a playoff rematch, but the Heat are 12-6 in the last 18 and playing much better on the whole.
11. New York Knicks (25-20, Last week — 12th)
Both losses came at home, which isn’t great, but the Knicks are 7-2 in the last nine games. The trio of Julius Randle, RJ Barrett, and Jalen Brunson really has it going, and we live in a world where New York sits in the top ten of the league in offensive rating.
12. Golden State Warriors (22-22, Last week — 18th)
The Warriors aren’t exactly in high gear when compared to last season, though the flashes are real. Stephen Curry tossed up 41 points on Monday in a road win, and Golden State gets default respect that they’ve earned in the big picture.
13. Atlanta Hawks (22-22, Last week — 19th)
The off-court vibes are horrendous in Atlanta with story after story about front office and ownership turmoil. On the court, though, the Hawks just had arguably their best three-game stretch of the season, sweeping a road back-to-back and then beating a Miami team that has flummoxed Atlanta for a while. Now, the Hawks go to Dallas for a Young vs. Doncic showdown on Wednesday, but Atlanta’s on-court performance feels different than it did a week ago.
14. Dallas Mavericks (24-21, Last week — 10th)
Dallas has dropped four of the last five, though it’s notable that Luka Doncic missed two of those games. The Mavericks have a thoroughly bizarre offensive profile that features dead-last rankings in assists, points in the paint, and fast break points while still landing in the top six or seven of the league in offensive efficiency. Luka is pretty good.
15. Oklahoma City Thunder (21-23, Last week — 24th)
The Thunder are… pretty good? Oklahoma City has outscored its opponents for the season, and the Thunder are 5-1 in the last six. While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserves every bit of praise, it was also a big weekend for Josh Giddey, who put up 25-10-6 on Friday and followed it with 28-9-9 on Sunday. That’ll do.
16. Minnesota Timberwolves (22-23, Last week — 13th)
Minnesota got a positive bump last week and regresses a bit this time. The Wolves are 6-2 in the last eight, but just 2-2 in the last four with losses to Detroit and Utah. Another shrug emoji for Minnesota.
17. L.A. Clippers (23-23, Last week — 16th)
If anyone tells you they know what the Clippers really are at full strength, they probably don’t. Paul George returned from a five-game absence in a road loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday, which helps.
18. Utah Jazz (23-24, Last week — 21st)
Utah’s numbers over a pretty large sample are pretty ugly, but the Jazz are 3-1 in the last four. Monday’s one-point road win over Minnesota bumped the Jazz up a couple of spots in the pecking order.
19. Indiana Pacers (23-22, Last week — 8th)
I guess there might be a DIME curse. The Pacers were featured a week ago on the upswing and promptly turned around and lost four in a row. Indiana’s losing streak came against good competition and while shorthanded, but a crash in the rankings has to happen.
20. Los Angeles Lakers (20-24, Last week — 14th)
The reality of what the Lakers are and aren’t without Anthony Davis has set in if you’re paying attention. That doesn’t take away from the absurdity of LeBron James, who casually put up 48 points in a win over Houston on Monday. The man is 38 years old.
21. Portland Trail Blazers (21-23, Last week — 25th)
The Blazers haven’t beaten a team other than the Mavericks since Jan. 2. On the bright side, Portland played (and beat) Dallas twice this week to stop the bleeding of a losing streak.
22. Chicago Bulls (20-24, Last week — 20th)
Chicago is in Paris to play Detroit on Thursday, so it’s been quiet since Sunday. The Bulls did beat the Warriors on that particular day, with Nikola Vucevic posting his best game of the season with 43 points and 13 rebounds.
23. Toronto Raptors (20-25, Last week — 22nd)
Toronto’s road win in New York on MLK Day was encouraging. Unfortunately, the Raptors lost in ugly fashion at home to Atlanta and then turned around and lost to the Bucks without Giannis and Middleton on Tuesday. At the moment, the Raptors are out of the play-in tournament in the East, which is remarkable.
24. Phoenix Suns (21-24, Last week — 17th)
Devin Booker’s absence has to be noted when talking about how poorly Phoenix is playing. Still, the Suns are 2-12 in the last 14 games, and that is a staggeringly ugly run for an established contender. Obviously, the Suns are better than this when at even close to full strength, but things are going very poorly right now.
25. Washington Wizards (18-26, Last week — 26th)
Washington actually rises by a spot despite losing five of the last six games. The Wizards lost two single-digit games to quality teams and also beat the Bulls this week. That was good enough to avoid falling.
26. Orlando Magic (16-28, Last week — 23rd)
The Magic had a heck of a run in December, but the regression monster arrived. Orlando is just 3-7 in the last ten games, though a closer look may be a little bit more encouraging given the quality of competition. Also, the Magic have a very strange four-day break between games with Orlando returning to the floor on Friday.
27. Detroit Pistons (12-35, Last week — 29th)
Detroit’s been out of action since Sunday as the Pistons will face the Bulls in Paris on Thursday. The Pistons did pick up a nice win over Minnesota to jump out of the bottom three, but Detroit is still 1-5 in the last six and 4-13 in the last 17.
28. San Antonio Spurs (14-31, Last week — 27th)
The Spurs snapped a five-game losing streak with a nice home win over Brooklyn on Tuesday. That victory isn’t quite as impressive when accounting for the absence of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, though, and San Antonio’s season-long profile is gross.
29. Charlotte Hornets (11-34, Last week — 28th)
Wednesday will feature a headline-grabbing showdown between the last two teams on this list. The Hornets visit the Rockets (see below) in a battle for basement supremacy. Get your popcorn ready.
30. Houston Rockets (10-34, Last week — 30th)
It is really ugly for the Rockets. Houston is 1-16 over the last month and change, and the Rockets are on an 11-game losing streak. The league’s worst offense is the primary culprit, but the Rockets are also dire on defense and the vibes do not appear to be immaculate.
Brad Rowland
https://uproxx.com/dimemag/nba-power-rankings-january-2023-memphis-grizzlies/
By: Brad Rowland
Title: NBA Power Rankings Week 13: The Grizzlies Are Rocking And Rolling
Sourced From: uproxx.com/dimemag/nba-power-rankings-january-2023-memphis-grizzlies/
Published Date: 01-18-2023
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a restricted free player in the NBA?
A restricted free agent in NBA refers to a player, who has finished their rookie contract and is now an unrestricted - free agent. The rights of their former team are not affected. In this case, the team can match any offer sheet made to them by another team. The player can choose to match any offer made by another team. However, they must stay with the previous team and honor their contract. This allows teams to retain players who have proven themselves valuable in the past but may not be able to afford them under their current salary cap. Restricted free agents are a type of free agent that can provide teams with valuable flexibility when building their rosters.
What is the NBA Draft?
The NBA Draft is an annual event where teams choose eligible players to enter the league. It takes place every June and consists of two rounds, each team getting one pick per round. The teams' previous seasons' records determine the order of the draft. The worst team gets the first pick, while the best team gets the last. These teams have the option to draft college and international players over 19 years. This event is crucial for teams because it allows them to find new talent and expand their rosters. It is also an excellent opportunity for players to jump from college or international leagues to the NBA.
What is the NBA salary cap?
The NBA salary cap is a limit on the salary of each team's roster. The league determines this limit each year. It is intended to maintain parity between teams and prevent them from signing multiple high cost players. To sign free agents and make trades, teams must not exceed the cap. They can exceed it if they use certain exceptions, such as signing a player with Bird rights or offering a player a contract with portions of their salary counted against the cap and the remaining portion paid out as a bonus. The salary cap is an integral part of the league and helps to ensure a competitive balance between teams.
Statistics
- Williams would 'likely' accept a deal worth $14-15M/year; Celtics are 'unlikely' to offer such a deal (HoopsHype) (bleacherreport.com)
- Meanwhile, the opening night rosters include a record-setting 234 players with some G League experience, according to the NBA ( Twitter link ). (hoopsrumors.com)
- The 2013–14 season opened with 92 international players on the opening night rosters, representing 39 countries and over 20 percent of the league. (en.wikipedia.org)
- The opening game of the 2020 Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat brought in only 7.41 million viewers to ABC, according to The Hollywood Reporter. (en.wikipedia.org)
- "NBA first-round ratings drop 27 percent, 40 percent since 2017–18". (en.wikipedia.org)
External Links
sbnation.com
nba.com
bleacherreport.com
twitter.com
- Tweet / twitter
- Sam Amico on Twitter: "Timberwolves Waive PJ Dozier, CJ Elleby and AJ Lawson - Hoops Wire https://t.co/xKu1ZTuQZN" / Twitter
How To
How do you get into the NBA?
There are two ways to become a NBA player: high school or college.
NCAA schools offer college players the opportunity to attend Duke University, North Carolina State University or the University of Kentucky. These schools offer training and education for four years. During this time, players develop their ball handling, shooting and rebounding skills. They learn how the offense and defense work together. They also develop the mental skills necessary to become a professional runner.
Prep schools are open to high school athletes from outside their home states. These schools are focused on talent development and provide athletes with personalized attention. These schools focus on teaching academics and character development as well as sportsmanship.
Both types of players must pass the same physical tests before they are allowed to enter the draft. The test consists of running 40 yards, jumping over a 5'6" box, standing on one leg, and throwing a football through a tire.
All players who pass these tests will be invited to participate at workouts for different NBA teams. The players are judged on their height, speed, weight, wingspan, or size.
Teams also take into account their past experience. AAU basketball player will most likely get preferential treatment.
Sometimes players considered too small or incompetent to play professionally can be called "one-and gotten" prospects. The second round of the draft usually chooses these players.
Some players opt to skip college and join the NBA straight away. These players are called "prospects." Prospects do not need to wait for the end of the calendar year to be declared eligible for the draft.
They can ask for an exemption to allow them to participate in the draft early. If a prospect does so, he will be able to compete against other prospects during the pre-draft process.
Summer leagues are a great way for prospects to increase their chances of being selected. Summer league games are usually held in July or august.
Scouts have the chance to see players in action at these events without worrying about injury.
The NBA Draft is held in June. It's when the 30 NBA teams evaluate all the top prospects. Each team gets a different number of picks each round.
As an example, in the first round, the 15th overall selection is chosen. In the third round the 20th selection will be the 60th.
Teams make trades after the draft to complete their rosters. Some teams even hold mini-camp tryouts inviting potential draftees to train with them.
Draft day is thrilling! What happens next
You can start waiting to hear your name called once the draft starts. Each NBA team picks a player from the pool.
When a team has selected a player, it sends him his contract, which details his salary and playing time as well as benefits. He is a member the organization.
He also gets a jersey with the name of his choice on the back, and a new uniform with his nickname.
Finally, he signs a contract. He is now officially a member of the NBA.