The Two NBA Teams the Media is Sleeping On
The NBA media is far from perfect. Turn on any major sports news channel, and you’ll find one of three topics: the legit title contenders, Steph Curry, or LeBron. Everything else is either given limited air time or ignored completely over the course of an hour-long sports show.
The same goes for popular NBA social media accounts. House of Highlights has become “House of *insert fan-favorite player here*”; ESPN’s basketball content always shows one of Giannis, LeBron, or Curry; and Overtime doesn’t even post sports half the time.
While many of these accounts and shows focus on the top teams from each conference, they are leaving two notable ones out: the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies.
Utah Jazz
The Jazz, who have been historically ignored and disrespected by national sports media, have quietly put together a 16–7 record at the time of writing, with Donovan Mitchell leading the charge. The 6’3” high-flier has been putting up 24 PPG, 4 RPG and 5 APG while shooting 44% from the field, 33% from deep and 88% from the free throw line. He is also currently on a streak of three 30-point games, scoring 30, 34, and 35, respectively. Mitchell has not been alone, however, as Rudy Gobert has had an equally-solid start to the year. The 7’1” “Stifle Tower” averages 15 PPG, 15 RPG, one SPG and two BPG while shooting 73% from the field. Utah’s supporting cast has also been great, with Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, and Bojan Bogdonovic boasting double-digit PPG averages. And you can’t forget Royce O’Neale or Joe Ingles either.
As a whole, Quin Snyder’s squad has been solid all around, winning four of their last five behind key contributions from Conley, Mitchell and Gobert. So far, Utah has shot 48% from the field, 37% from three and 78% from the line. Snyder has also unleashed a “death lineup” of Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, Joe Ingles, Rudy Gay, and Rudy Gobert, according to SLC Dunk. These five have been torching opposing second units, with an average point differential of 17 (per 100 possessions). Juxtapose the dominance of this lineup with the scintillating play of Mitchell and Gobert, and it’s easy to see why Utah is where they are right now. Of course, we’ll see how they perform in the playoffs, but as far as getting a good spot in the postseason picture, the third-best team in the West is looking pretty good right now.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies have been thriving without their star point guard Ja Morant, who is currently sidelined with a left knee sprain and has recently entered Health and Safety Protocols. As of now, they are on a five-game winning streak, with key contributions coming from every supporting cast member who has starred in his role. In their 105–90 win over the Heat, these were the stats of the starting lineup. Keep in mind that Jimmy Butler was playing, notching ten points, five rebounds and four assists in his first game back from a tailbone injury.
Some familiar faces that will be recognized are Dillon Brooks, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Steven Adams. Tyus Jones has carved out a solid role for himself as Morant’s backup point guard, averaging nearly 7 PPG, 2 APG and 4 APG. Desmond Bane, the rookie out of TCU, has played himself into a starting role, being the teams’ leading wing and averaging 16–4–2 on 47–40–90 splits.
Other notable role players performing well for head coach Taylor Jenkins are Kyle Anderson, who is shooting 36% from deep, and De’Anthony Melton, who has turned into Morant’s backcourt partner, averaging 10–4–2 with 41–36–65 splits. Jenkins has turned the Grizzlies from a first-round exit a season ago to a fourth seed in the West (at the time of writing). It remains to be seen how this early success will translate come April and May, but the Grizz should definitely be receiving more attention with the way they’ve been playing. If they aren’t turning media personalities’ heads now, just wait until Ja gets back.
Conclusion
At the moment, Utah and Memphis are among the most “slept on” squads this year. There’s no doubt that their play has earned them a spot in conversations on national TV, but it remains to be seen if all this early success can be maintained come playoff time.
