Grizzlies look ahead
Despite falling short of playoffs, Morant, Jenkins say future is bright.
Ja Morant's first tweet after his rookie season captured the mood of not just the Grizzlies, but a fan base balancing their emotions after Saturday's 126-122 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
"disappointed of the outcome but excited for what's to come!! #backtowork #trenches," Morant tweeted, adding a devil emoji between the hashtags.
Who couldn't feel that way watching them battle against the Trail Blazers? For the first time in three summers, there's hope beyond lottery ping pong balls. There's a reasonable future taking shape in a promising present.
The Grizzlies see it too. Before coach Taylor Jenkins spoke in the locker room, the first thing his team said was they have work to do. They had room to be satisfied after a strong regular season while the NBA bubble taught them how to grow from it.
"That's why I love this group. I know that's what they're going to be focused on all summer. Getting better as a team," Jenkins said. "As much as this stings, it's that healthy reminder of you're that close. What are you going to do to motivate yourself every single day?"
Before looking ahead, the Grizzlies could be proud of the last 10 months. They won 34 games, one more than last season. They have a solid core headlined by three young players and key veterans in Jonas Valanciunas and Dillon Brooks.
Jaren Jackson Jr. improved in his second season before a season-ending knee injury inside the bubble. Brandon Clarke set a NBA record for field goal percentage by a rookie (61.8%) and proved he's the steal of the 2019 NBA Draft.
Then there's Morant, who has a chance to be the sixth unanimous NBA Rookie of the Year. His passing, dunking and swagger have the Grizzlies in shape to be must-see TV for years as he blossoms into one of the league's next superstars.
But as he dazzled Grizzlies fans, he also will remember how his rookie year felt one game short of the playoffs. For a player always searching for motivation, he got some watching heroes like Damian Lillard and CJ Mccollum raise their play in the bubble.
"I feel like I got better as the season went on," Morant said. "Obviously not the outcome we wanted but we have to be proud of what we accomplished this season. Coming in being projected to be 27th in the league and was right there in a play-in game."
Now the focus shifts to an offseason where they likely won't have a first round pick in this year's draft. After Thursday's draft lottery, if their pick doesn't slide into the top four, it gets conveyed to the Boston Celtics to fulfill their 2015 trade involving Jeff Green.
They still have a second round pick at No. 40 but that pick can be stashed away in the G-league if necessary.
Don't expect much action in free agency this fall. Twelve Grizzlies are under contract next season and the team has nearly available cap space except for a $9.3 million midlevel exception. Jackson, Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow will return from their injuries. If Winslow is finally able to make his debut, it adds another rotation player to Jenkins' deep stable.
The biggest decision lies with De'anthony Melton, a restricted free agent. The Grizzlies can tender him to a one-year, $1.9 million qualifying offer by Oct. 17 and then decide if they want re-sign him to a longer deal.
Both Anthony Tolliver and Josh Jackson are unrestricted free agents whose futures could be elsewhere. Jackson was a solid contributor in February and March but fell out of the rotation in Florida.
As for the midlevel exception? Their biggest need is outside shooting but the amount they have to spend depends on what they decide with Melton and Jackson.
Those concerns lie in the coming months but as the Grizzlies returned to Memphis, they could sleep well knowing their best is yet to come after learning from a successful season.
"I feel like I know what it takes to make it. We were some games away," Morant said. "I learned a lot though the amount of games I played this whole season. People tried to put a lot of pressure on me but I'm a rookie. I just turned 21 a couple days ago so at this point, I'm still learning.
"But I have the right guys around from me from family to my staff to my teammates encouraging me and giving me good tips to make it through."