After sweeping, reflecting, does the Grizzlies need to change?

After being swept out by the Thunder 0-4 in the first round of the playoffs, the Grizzlies are gradually reaching the intersection. They must make some major decisions this offseason, and these decisions will inevitably be quite tricky.

Around the three core combinations of Jaren Jackson Jr., Bain and Morant, the Grizzlies in the new era are gradually inheriting the iron-blooded defensive culture of the previous era and opening a new stage of iron-blooded Memphis.

Although they have not achieved a definite result, it must be admitted that the core teams of Morant, Bain and Jaren Jr. have successfully brought the Grizzlies back on track. They have won the first half of the division since 2022, but have only won one round of series on the playoff stage.

And worse, with no endorsement of grades, injuries are continuing to plague this core combination, gradually causing us to worry about the future potential of this young grizzly bear.

Morant left the game with an injury against the Thunder series. Although we are criticizing Dort's big moves, from another perspective, it is another microcosm of his playoff setback.

Since re-emerging in the 2021-22 season, Morant has never played in a complete and healthy playoff role for the Grizzlies. But even so, Morant is not the biggest problem for the Grizzlies. Although his performance has declined in recent years, he is still the core choice for the Grizzlies to build a team.

But outside Morant, the situation of Jaren Jackson and Bain is not that optimistic. At least through this season and four playoffs, the Grizzlies have exposed a big enough problem:

The Grizzlies' current lineup seems not ready to start the championship, and the team's general manager Kleiman needs to decide whether to adjust the team's subsequent direction in the offseason.

Referring to the team performance this season, although Morant has fluctuated under the Grizzlies' three-core team, he is still a star player, but he has not been able to complete a huge evolution like Doncic, Tatum and even Alexander. In comparison, Morant may be more suitable to be positioned as the second main player of the team rather than the real core leader.

He is still very good, but he is not the kind of superstar who can lead the team to play the playoffs alone.

And beyond this, the Grizzlies must make a choice against Jaren and Bain, and the situation will even be even more severe, and both of them should be put on the transaction shelves. With their current age and ability, the Grizzlies have the opportunity to trade them for high bargaining chips that are enough to allow the team to become a championship-level overnight.

When Morant missed the game, Bain performed well on the back line, but his ceiling was at most a qualified second-in-command choice; as for Jaren Jackson Jr., his performance on the offensive end was fluctuating, and his playing time was often limited on the defensive end due to foul issues. The limitations of these core players are dragging down the Grizzlies' growth.

The best case is the third game against the Thunder in the first round series. The Grizzlies led their opponents by 26 points in the first half, but were reversed at the last moment.

When Morant fell to the ground and was injured accidentally, it was difficult for Bain and Jaren Jr. to support the Grizzlies' remnant situation, which is why we think Kleiman must seriously consider the team's future. As the best reference sample, the Los Angeles Lakers toughly snatched a young superstar from the Mavericks and eventually got a major upgrade from the core team. Even though the Lakers were eliminated in the first round, after the core team was confirmed, as long as they can operate properly on the puzzle, they can directly return to the top favorites in the championship.

As for the Grizzlies, according to the above mentioned, they have the ability to return to the cornerstone of their ideal team building around Bain or Jaren Jr. At this stage, it is best not to continue wasting time on this. It is better to wait for the core growth of these second-tier teams to change qualitatively. It is better to learn from the Lakers' route and select a new core candidate who can truly lead the team.

As of now, the fact that the Grizzlies' lineup is not outstanding enough is already quite obvious. When the team's record collapsed, the Grizzlies' senior executives simply chose to treat coach Jenkins as a scapegoat, and on the shortcomings of the team's lineup, especially when facing strong teams, they cannot maintain competitiveness. Players seem to be the real key issue for the Grizzlies.

For this summer, team general manager Kleiman should already be very clear about the Grizzlies' problem, and his main responsibility is to solve it. This offseason this season may be the most critical stage during his tenure with the Grizzlies.