Intentional Development: The Memphis Grizzlies Story
The seven lessons on patience and team-building from Memphis' quick ascent in the Western Conference
Bottoming out and starting a rebuild has become a more accepted practice across the NBA over the last 15 years. Lack of success, aged rosters that quickly decline, failed rebuilds in prior iterations and free agent departures can send franchises into a frenzy, necessitating a reboot of the roster and timeline.
Making the decision to start over isn’t easy. More challenging is acing the process of quickly getting out of the bottom. Part of why ownership groups mull over the rebuilding process with such disdain is because of the uncertainty that comes with losing. There’s no guarantee the lottery ping pong balls, talent development and dozens of factors that go into becoming a legitimate NBA championship contender find their way to merge.
Right now, the Memphis Grizzlies are making the entire process look easy. How far they’ve come is a testament to a complete vision and development plan, aided by nailing every important draft pick along the way to quickly lift the franchise out of the basement and back into contender status in the West — perhaps even higher than they ever were in the decade prior.
We detail some of the pathways the Grizzlies got to this roster, the choices they’ve made on personnel, the internal development taking place and the importance of clarity from the top down on how to build the roster. A few bullet points of biggest takeaways:
Ace your top-five picks as building blocks for the franchise
Veterans are helpful during a rebuild — not just to teach, but to insulate young players on the floor
Drafting for skill fit over age/ timeline fit is paramount
If you’re going to properly evaluate young talent, make sure the group you have blends well together
Don’t get hasty to deal young assets until you explore just how good they can be
Taste what playoff basketball is like early in your young stars’ careers to evaluate them in a playoff environment while keeping them bought into your franchise
Intentional, detailed skill development plans help young players get better quickly
How the rebuild started
During the 2016-17 season, the Grizz were in the midst of their seventh-consecutive playoff campaign. David Fizdale, in his first year as head coach, helped the team make the postseason and modernized their offense, getting 32-year-old Marc Gasol and 35-year-old Zach Randolph to start letting it fly from deep. Randolph had moved to the bench to balance scoring, ceding his spot to 26-year-old JaMychal Green.
Randolph, Gasol, 29-year-old Mike Conley and 35-year-old Tony Allen were the backbone of a half-decade of success in Memphis widely known as “grit-and-grind”. As the organization, led by general manager Chris Wallace, tried to push for another run in the Western Conference Playoffs, the suddenly ancient core was running out of steam. Money and trades were somewhat tied up on the fringes; the disaster 2016 signing of Chandler Parsons, oft-injured and rarely productive, dried up their cache to add youth. 40-year-old Vince Carter was the most impactful bench player, and they hadn’t gotten any production from recent draft picks. Wade Baldwin (2016), Jarell Martin (2015), Jordan Adams (2014) and Tony Wroten (2012) were the four most recent first-rounders; none made it to a fourth season in Memphis.
The following season in 2017-18 saw the bottom fall out. Conley got hurt, playing only 12 games on the year. Randolph, disgruntled by the diminished role, left for Sacramento where he could remain a starter. Gasol carried the team, and reclamation project Tyreke Evans came into town to have a huge year. Parsons still couldn’t play consistently and none of their first-round picks played exceedingly well. Without a point guard and 11 players starting double-digit games, the Grizzlies went 22-60 and finished 14th in the West. They parted from Fizdale midway through the season and secured a high draft pick in the upcoming 2018 NBA Draft: fourth overall.
Conley (now 31) and Gasol (34) would stay around for yet another season. But the beginnings of a youth movement were on. Jaren Jackson Jr., the young and toolsy forward out of Michigan State, was the team’s selection. JJJ had a real intrigue as a stretch big man, and keeping him around to learn under Gasol during the 2018-19 season would do wonders for his long-term development. Conley, a crafty point guard, would be the only Grizzly to play more than 60 games that year. Mid-season trades, from a team barely on pace to win 30 games, maximized the older assets on the roster. Gasol was shipped to Toronto in a deal that brought back Jonas Valanciunas, Delon Wright, CJ Miles and a future 2nd round pick. They got rid of JaMychal Green for veteran expiring contract Avery Bradley.
Batches of young players got to test their mettle during the final stretch of the season under JB Bickerstaff, the replacement for Fizdale. The 19-year-old Jackson averaged 14 and 5 as a rookie. Tyler Dorsey, Dillon Brooks, Bruno Caboclo and Kyle Anderson were all 25-and-under scrapping for minutes. The Grizzlies were restructuring their cap to save money and maximize the returns they could get for their aging nucleus. They still weren’t young enough, though. With Jackson in the blueprint and a ton of money coming off the books soon, the work for a real rebuild would soon begin.
Jackpot
Of course, a little luck is always necessary to get this thing right. Prior to the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery, the Grizzlies had less than a 13% chance of moving into the top-two. A draft class headlined by Zion Williamson and Ja Morant saw two legitimate prizes appear in the mainstream, so vaulting the competition into these two slots became paramount for any team at the bottom.
Memphis saw the ping pong balls bounce their way, climbing into the number-two spot where point guard Ja Morant from Murray State would fall their way. Morant, a speedster with great athleticism and scoring upside, would pair nicely with Jackson as two teenage targets to build around. The front office became completely restructured to get a fresh set of eyes in town. Out was longtime executive Chris Wallace, replaced by the young Zachary Kleiman, 30-years-old at the time. Promoted from within, the young Kleiman wanted to start a youth movement, stating the Grizzlies would “not sacrifice long-term gains for short-term success.”
Kleiman got to work restructuring the roster that summer. Getting Morant was a sweet welcome present, but maneuvering the cap and getting younger were two distinct challenges. That summer, the Grizz shipped Mike Conley to Utah, a rising contender looking for a veteran stabilizer, in a deal that brought back a 2019 1st-rounder, a future 1st round pick, Grayson Allen, Jae Crowder and Kyle Korver. That future first, through some gymnastics, turned into Gonzaga forward Brandon Clarke. Kleiman got to offload the final portion of the disastrous Chandler Parsons deal, taking back Miles Plumlee and Solomon Hill from Atlanta, and picked up a future 1st rounder into their cap space by absorbing Andre Iguodala’s deal from Memphis.
2018 second-rounder Jevon Carter and sought-after sharpshooter Korver were rerouted to Phoenix, taking back a 2020 2nd rounder and two young, interesting athletes in De’Anthony Melton and failed 2018 lottery pick Josh Jackson. Wright was sign-and-traded to Dallas in exchange for two future 2nd rounders. Valanciunas re-signed, backup point guard Tyus Jones came to town to stabilize the backcourt on a modest deal and the roster was set. In the first four months on the job, Kleiman not only got younger in the moment but added a net gain of three additional first-rounders and two additional seconds.
Hidden in Kleiman’s busy summer was the decision to hire young Milwaukee Bucks assistant Taylor Jenkins. He was 34 at the time, starting a major shift in thinking from the front office ranks on down. Jenkins would bring success from Mike Budenholzer’s coaching tree with him, and was praised as a believer of analytics and someone with a clear vision for the organization.
The new approach paid immediate dividends during a COVID-shortened season. Jenkins ran a 5-out offense tailored around Morant in ball screens, embracing his rookie as the voluminous creator on the roster. Morant would steamroll his way to Rookie of the Year awards as the Grizzlies finished 9th in the West, a drastic overachievement considering the overhaul of their roster.
Morant (17.8 PPG, 7.3 APG) was at the crux of their success. Jackson (17.4 PTS, 4.6 REB) didn’t show major improvements from year one to two, but was interrupted by injuries. Both of them were clearly intriguing young talents who could hold their own at the NBA level, teenagers combining for 35 PPG. Lesson #1 from the Grizzlies turnaround: when you have high draft picks, you have to nail them.
During that 2019-20 season, Dillon Brooks stepped into a major role with the team as a two-way player, rookie Clarke averaged 12 and 6, and veterans like Jonas Valanciunas and Jae Crowder played a steadying role. Brooks earned an extension by the middle of the season, and Crowder was so sought after by the deadline that the young Grizzlies couldn’t say no to a deal; they shipped him and Iguodala to Miami for Justise Winslow, Gorgui Dieng and Dion Waiters.
Paramount to any of these deals or roster reshuffling was a desire to not blockade Morant or Jackson’s minutes. Valanciunas was a veteran who could score on the block and play sturdy defense. Instead of letting the two youngsters flounder with a young and inexperienced center, they could trust the guy behind them and learn to play competitive defense earlier in their careers. That was lesson #2: keep the right veterans around not just for mentoring but so the youngsters don’t flounder on-court.
As COVID dragged on through the summer, the Grizzlies entered the 2020 NBA Draft in November armed with flexibility. While they only owned the 40th pick, the multitude of future second-rounders brought ability to trade up or trade into the latter parts of the draft to secure prospects they wanted. Kleiman turned the 40th pick (Robert Woodard was later selected) and a 2022 second-rounder into 35th selection Xavier Tillman Sr. Moving up five spots to guarantee they got their guy is a move we advocate for every time; if you have a target, go get him.
That wasn’t all the Grizzlies did. They traded two future seconds to Boston for Desmond Bane, drafted 30th, taking back Mario Chalmers’ salary in the process. Bane and Tillman came to Memphis as older rookies; Bane was 22 after a strong four-year career at TCU, while the 22-year-old Tillman had matured due to experiencing fatherhood while at Michigan State. Perhaps the front office knew at the time they’d secured a major steal in Bane and the ideal frontcourt utility player in Tillman. This remains one of the best draft hauls of the last half-decade due to the relatively little in cache they entered the draft with or gave up to secure it. Lesson #3: draft for skill fits, not age/ timeline on a rebuild — draftable players always tend to align with a rebuilding timeline.
Kleiman also took smaller gambles on the fringes with two-way contracts and undrafted free agents. Jon Konchar, a 6’5” shooter from IPFW, was re-signed after a solid 15-game sample the prior season. Killian Tillie and Jontay Porter, two skilled big men derailed by injuries for a period of time, signed team-friendly contracts with little risk but high reward. Both Porter and Tillie received first-round grades on our draft boards but were deemed untouchable due to injury concerns.
The Winning Begins
Kleiman’s process had been strong on assembling talent. There was very little positional overlap in the young players he’d added: a star point guard, the flexible big, utility bigs who prioritize defense and a smooth-shooting wing. Sprinkle in the younger additions on the trade and free agent markets (a pass-first point guard backup, Tyus Jones a defensive-minded athlete combo guard in Melton and a gem of a find in two-way wing Dillon Brooks) and Kleiman had little-to-no redundancy with his under-25 core. That’s lesson #4: if you’re going to properly evaluate young talent, make sure the group you have blends well together.
The youngsters still weren’t left alone out there, even in 2020-21. Valanciunas was a force down low on both ends; he averaged 17.1 points and 12.5 rebounds, shot 61% from two and helped anchor a top-five defense in Memphis. Kyle Anderson was an effective swingman in a utility starter role, averaging 12-6-4 while shooting 36% from 3. Grayson Allen, the best young piece from the Conley trade years prior, averaged double-figures for the first time as he turned 25 during the year.
The Grizzlies preached trust and patience over that season. Despite only qualifying as the 9-seed and being on the borderline of playoff berths, Kleiman didn’t make any moves during the season on the trade market. He didn’t sell his veterans, undoubtedly called about, and he didn’t make an aggressive move that would require shipping off young talent before he knew exactly what the team had in them. While the veterans got plenty of burn to help Morant, Jackson and Brooks grow into leadership roles, there was still a belief in the young talent they’d drafted, such as Bane, Tillman or Clarke. Even those like Melton and Konchar, barely playing, were coveted. Lesson #5 has to do with those guys: don’t get hasty to deal young assets until you explore just how good they can be.
Their patience should be lauded, and it paid off as they qualified for the postseason through the play-in tournament. The Grizzlies were outmatched against the NBA’s best team during the regular season, the Utah Jazz. With DPOY frontrunner Rudy Gobert, former Grit-and-Grind legend Mike Conley and young scorer Donvan Mitchell, the Jazz were a vaunted foe.
The Grizzlies didn’t back down, actually winning Game 1 on the road. They’d lose the next four, with no game finishing closer than a 7 point margin, but sent a message that they planned on making the postseason for years to come. Morant averaged 30.2 points, 8.2 assists and 4.8 boards during the five-game series. Brooks averaged 25.8 points and caught fire from deep (40%). Jackson couldn’t buy a shot from deep but played excellent defense. All three grew infinitely from the experience, a major gain for the organization to evaluate just how their building blocks will hold up in a playoff environment. At the end of the day, that’s the only environment that matters for success. Lesson #6: get playoff experience early to evaluate your building blocks in a playoff environment.
For a small market team like the Grizzlies, the process of building a roster the right was is, quite frankly, the only way. There are very few free agency shortcuts that apply to them, and even fewer star players pushing to go there via trade. When they draft well, with guys like Jackson and Morant, keeping them happy and feeling like they can be successful there cements the hard work done by the franchise as worthwhile. While other small markets struggle to keep their stars (or keep them happy) beyond their first four-year contract, the Grizzlies have the added bonus of keeping Morant and Jackson engaged long-term due to their immediate successes.
It’s hard to calculate just how valuable that experience is, but it often gets overlooked in the rebuilding process. Teams must prove to their star players that they can do the job. Incremental growth is part of that process, as are playoff berths on a consistent basis.
A major rise up the standings? That would do wonders for morale.
An Ascent Nobody Saw Coming
After Valanciunas served as the base for success down low, phone calls bombarded the Grizzlies front office about the big man. Kleiman would cash out, sending him, the 17th pick and 51st picks in the 2021 draft away, as the New Orleans Pelicans orchestrated a deal that brought Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe, the 10th pick and a 2022 first-rounder back to Memphis.
Adams was the right add at the right time. Still a rough-and-tough interior defender, taking away Jonas’ post-up touches would open up greater offensive command for the two heroes of the Jazz series (Morant and Brooks) as well as the younger role players the organization expected to take a step up. Bledsoe was a salary dump, the first in a series of cascading moves that eventually brought cap relief and a young talent flier (Jarrett Culver) that the Grizz were high on a year prior. With two first round picks, they took Ziaire Williams 10th and Santi Aldama 30th.
The meat and potatoes of the franchise returned, and clearing playing time for guys like Williams and Desmond Bane on the wings became a priority. Knowing that Grayson Allen, on the final year of his rookie deal, would soon outprice what the Grizzlies could afford, they shipped him to Milwaukee for Sam Merrill. Culver and Merrill were guys they liked a lot during recent draft cycles, and they took a flier on 2020 second-rounder Tyrell Terry, recently released by the Dallas Mavericks.
The coloring around the edges was a plan to bring in more players they could develop with time and patience. What allowed them to do that? Rapid ascents and improvement from the others they drafted, namely Desmond Bane.
Bane went from a rookie shooter off the bench to a priority starter playing 30 minutes a game. He’s currently averaging 17 PPG and shooting 41.5% from deep. We wrote on Bane earlier in the year as a massive success story on development and clarity of purpose. Morant needed shooting around him, and Bane has become a weaponized threat off screens. He’s added a reliable side-step jumper, perfected his pump fake for fly-bys as a threat to get him re-penetration, and really improved his floater.
The entirety of Bane’s development is a major success for the Grizzlies in what we’ll call Lesson #7: Intentional, functional skill development plans help young players not only get better but find their on-court fit early in their careers. Bane has perfected the side-step 3-pointer to a level where he’s maximizing his shooting potential, drilling treys to get the Grizzlies an extra point and become a threat so large that teams have to worry about him.
While Kleiman gets a ton of credit for the roster building, this realm of player development falls squarely on the shoulders of Taylor Jenkins. Bane is the most notable example of improvement, but he’s far from the only one. Morant has gotten so much better as a pick-and-roll guard in the half-court. Jackson is as versatile of a frontcourt scorer as you’ll find in the NBA. Konchar is a 40% 3-point shooter who has found home in the rotation. Even rookie Ziaire Williams is making an impact far sooner than anyone who scouted him would have envisioned.
Through internal development and growth, where each individual takes a step forward every year, the group has taken a major leap. The Grizzlies are 40-18 approaching the All-Star break, the third-best record in the NBA. Once again, the trade deadline came and passed without a move being made that shakes up the young core and impatiently tries to add win-now veterans to the mix. The Grizz are 7th in defensive rating, once again putting together a great effort on that end, but have risen to top-six on offense, even after giving up a vaunted interior scorer in Valanciunas.
When some people watch the Grizzlies, they see a super fun team in terms of on-court product. Morant is an acrobat with superhuman speed and a joyful confidence. Bane is a blossoming shooter, Brooks the irrational confidence guy, Jackson the Swiss Army Knife and Adams the enforcer. There are likable personalities, aesthetically-pleasing sets and a desire to play in transition that always catches the eye.
What we see is a marvel of scouting, player development and tactics blended into one. We see a successful team-building exercise done step by step, shorting themselves on no parts of the process. Not every draft pick or trade has been a home run, or even a single (Clarke and Tillman are by no means overachieving). But they hit far more singles than any team out there, hit their home runs when they knew they had to swing for the fences and haven’t made any baserunning errors.
The lessons to take away from the Grizzlies aren’t just about drafting or intentional development, though. They’re about organizational synergy. The coaching staff is patient with the players and enjoy investing in young guys. The front office doesn’t bail on them once success starts to hit.
Top to bottom, the Grizzlies are firing on all cylinders.