Grizzlies NBA Championship Odds: Is Memphis Making the Leap?

Memphis Grizzlies NBA Playoff Odds

Memphis Grizzlies Analysis

The Grizzlies made bettors happy this season as they finished with the best ATS record in the NBA at 52-29-1 (64.2% cover rate). They also finished with the second-best record in the NBA (56-26) while exceeding their preseason win total by 14.5 games — the second-most in the NBA (behind only the Cavaliers).

The young Grizzlies took an unexpected leap into the top tier of the league as they are an incredibly deep team (maybe the deepest in the NBA) with a plethora of high-IQ players who can defend and shoot 3s.

Ja Morant is overwhelmingly likely to be the NBA’s Most Improved Player and led the NBA in points in the paint this year, but the Grizzlies also thrived in his absence and are not a one-man team. Jaren Jackson Jr. has emerged as one of the best big man defenders in the NBA and also is a threat to score from the perimeter. Desmond Bane’s emergence was a huge deal for the Grizzlies with Dillon Brooks playing just 32 games.

The big question mark for the Grizzlies is how they will do in a playoff setting where more of the game is played in the half-court. Their 93.4 Offensive Rating in the half-court ranked 22nd this season and is the second-worst of any top-six seed in either conference.

They also played an NBA-low 74.6% of plays in the half-court thanks to Morant so frequently zooming by defenders in transition.