Zach Kleiman, Memphis Grizzlies Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
The Memphis Grizzlies had one of the most unexpected seasons in the NBA this year. Without one of their key pieces, they managed to put themselves into a position that allowed them to earn an NBA Playoff spot via the play-in tournament.
How did they do this?
There are a lot of reasons, but primarily, the Grizzlies have extremely strong talent from top-to-bottom. To give some perspective to this, Brandon Clarke, one of the best rookies last season, sat on the bench for virtually the entire finish to the 2020-21 season.