⌕/
Memphis Grizzlies · Registered into the NBA’s history books with a league-record 50 different starting lineups in 2023-24, the Memphis Grizzlies weren’t given many opportunities to experience the 82-game season at full strength. Recognizing their chance at approaching something close to it against the Los Angeles Lakers on January 5, 2024, Memphis, fittingly, flexed those healthy muscles into something extraordinary. The Grizzlies’ success in exacting a small measure of revenge from the 2023 NBA Playoffs also included a seldom-seen level of greatness. Buoyed by an 111-point performance from their starters alone, Memphis also sprayed its way into 23 3-pointers, both of which tied for franchise highs. Catching Los Angeles unthawed and in the middle of an ice-cold spell, the Grizzlies rode a four-headed offensive monster to victory, with Jaren Jackson Jr. leading the charge through a 31-point showing and Marcus Smart (29), Desmond Bane (24), and Ja Morant (21) covering his proverbial tracks. Already completely aware of their capabilities with three previous postseason runs serving as validation, Memphis’ early-January win served as merely another example of what the 2024-25 Grizzlies’ season could entail with multiple star players returning to the fold. · State of Mint