Goals for the Memphis Grizzlies in the last 20 games

There’s no doubt that many Memphis Grizzlies fans probably checked out of the season, and what’s left is only attractive to the sickos or those who are using the games as an opportunity to watch the other team. The latter might be a good way for fans to take note of how far away the team is, especially when seeing them against the top competition over the remaining 20 outings.

Yet, even teams at the bottom have priorities and that is no different for the Grizzlies. They include…

Giving the players the opportunity while losing

The experts say the upcoming draft is deep and that there should be good value in the late teens, which is good news for the additional pick they have from the Desmond Bane trade. As far as Memphis’ own pick, they have a slim chance at the top spot (six percent), but that doesn’t mean their odds can’t improve, although slightly. The trick to tanking is making it look like it’s not on purpose and not doing too much of it so the players who are kept don't develop poor habits.

Someone showing up on the injury report at an inconvenient time is always a risk, but they have a pool of youngsters and prospects to give opportunities to. GG Jackson, Walter Clayton and Cedric Coward should have the highest priority.

Improving long-range accuracy

An area they need to improve so it carries over to next year is shooting threes. They are efficient on wide-open attempts (six feet or more of space), but roughly 39 percent of their tries are open, which is four to six feet of space by the closest defender, and they only make a third of those. They need to be closer to 40 percent accuracy on open shots to fully take advantage of the league-wide excess in help defense.

Come to an understanding with Ja Morant

Ja Morant wants to stay in Memphis, despite the team looking like it’s pivoting in another direction. It would be ideal for them to keep him, for now because he’s a high-impact player who can help speed up the development of his young teammates by putting them in easy positions that will make their confidence grow.

Keep in mind that even in his 20 games played, Morant logged eight double-doubles, and his passes generated the most 3-point attempts (8.3), and two-point shots (12.2) on the team. He also logged a 2.27 assist-to-turnover ratio, which is excellent for a high-volume playmaker. Yet he needs to improve his 3-point shot, and it would help counter when opponents take away his access to the lane.

Still, if they handle the draft and development of the youngsters well, while keeping Morant, they could be a respectable team next season and more following that.