Grizzlies Will Be ‘at the Top of the Food Chain’ in NBA, Lakers’ Darvin Ham Says | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

By Editor On Apr 29, 2023

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LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 28: Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies warms up before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers during round One Game Six of the 2023 NBA Playoffs on April 28, 2023 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2023 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)

Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

A once-promising season for the Memphis Grizzlies ended in unceremonious fashion on Friday night with a 125-85 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 6 of the Western Conference playoffs.

Despite the 40-point loss, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham is very optimistic about the Grizzlies’ future as a team that will be “at the top of the food chain” in the NBA soon.

Rachel Nichols @Rachel__Nichols

Darvin Ham: “The Grizzlies aren’t going anywhere – they’re going to be around for years to come.” Ham predicts Memphis will eventually be “at the top of the food chain.”

The Grizzlies spent most of this season as one of the top teams in the Western Conference. They finished as the No. 2 seed with a 51-31 record. They have won at least 50 games in back-to-back seasons for the second time in franchise history.

Injuries did bite Memphis’ roster in the second half of the year. Steven Adams, who averaged 5.1 offensive rebounds per game, didn’t appear in a game after Jan. 22 due to a sprained PCL. Brandon Clarke tore his Achilles on March 3.

There were also off-court issues involving Ja Morant, including posting a video on Instagram Live when he was brandishing a gun at a nightclub in Denver. He received an eight-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the league.

The two-time All-Star was also accused of punching and flashing a gun at a teenager and threatening a mall security guard last summer, per police records obtained by Molly Hensley-Clancy of the Washington Post.

Morant has denied the allegations made by the teenager and filed a countersuit against the 18-year-old. He also issued an apology statement for the incident at the nightclub.

For all of their recent success on the court, this is still a very young roster. They entered this season with the fifth-youngest team by average player age (24.27 years old). The New York Knicks were the only other team in the top 10 (25.02 years old) that made the postseason.

Most of the core for this Grizzlies team remains under contract for next season. Morant, Clarke, Adams and Jaren Jackson Jr. are all signed for at least the next two years.

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