Ja Morant helping Memphis Grizzlies to small power rankings jump

The team is up and down, but keeping pace with the rest of the pack.

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant gestures during the third quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Memphis Grizzlies are inching closer to 500. But they have fallen short of that goal in their last two attempts.

Despite falling short of the milestone, the Grizzlies have moved up in NBA.com writer John Schuhmann's power rankings. The team is now sitting at No. 17 after being No. 18 in the previous edition.

"In the last nine days, the Grizzlies have had two chances to get back to .500 for the first time since they were 3-3. Both games were against the Wizards, but they went 0-2, coming up short in the clutch in Washington on Sunday," Schuhmann wrote.

"Even with the two losses to Washington, the Grizzlies have the league’s biggest differential between their record vs. teams currently at or below .500 (13-4) and their record vs. teams currently above .500 (2-13). The bigger difference has been on offense, where they’ve scored just 106.5 points per 100 possessions against the good teams. The Grizzlies have played 13 of their last 17 games against the below-.500 group, but will now play eight of their next nine against teams that currently have winning records."

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant reacts during the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Grizzlies get slight boost in power rankings

The Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls, Portland Trail Blazers, Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans, Washington Wizards, Sacramento Kings, and Indiana Pacers are the teams that rank below Grizzlies in the power rankings.

The Grizzlies are beginning to get into a rhythm now that players are getting healthy again. The good news about where the Grizzlies are currently is that there is still room for growth. Several players are still out with injuries, and eventually that will change.

Once the Grizzlies get players like Zach Edey back in the lineup with John Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., the team will be closer to full strength. This could result in moving even higher in the Western Conference standings and power rankings.

This week, the Grizzlies will close out the calendar year with a game at home against the Philadelphia 76ers. Then in 2026, the Grizzlies will start things off with a 2-game series on the road against LeBron James, Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers.

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