by James Finneral
It is essential for a team to keep together their star players so those players can develop chemistry with each other, which helps out the team as a whole. The clearest example was with the Miami Heat who could not win a title the first year the Big 3 were assembled due to lack of chemistry between their three stars. Although they might not have the same talent as the Heat's old team, the Memphis Grizzlies have been able to keep their key players and are beginning to build around them.
The three players who can lead this Grizzlies team to success are Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol and Mike Conley. Zach Randolph has been with Grizzlies for quite a few years now and has become the face of the franchise. He is a double-double machine and brings veteran leadership to the floor which all teams need. Look for Randolph to be productive again, but his years of being a competitive big man in the league are numbered. This year the Grizzlies will depend heavily on the productiveness of their center, Marc Gasol. Gasol has spent all his career in Memphis and has been a consistent player who can put up a double-double on any given night. He needs to keep this up for the Grizzlies to be a competitor in the West. With only one reliable guard in Mike Conley, Memphis has had to depend on their front-court. The Grizzlies will need Gasol to be a nice compliment to Randolph down low so they can dominate their opponents. If the big men can do their jobs the weight then shifts on to the shoulders of the guards for the Grizzlies.
In an effort to give Mike Conley someone to play aside, the Grizzlies drafted shooting guard Jordan Adams out of UCLA. Adams is already a pretty polished guard who can score from inside and out. The Grizzlies have high expectations for Adams and hope that he can be the missing piece that they need to have a strong back-court. Another player the Grizzlies hope will develop is big man Jarnell Stokes out of Tennessee. Stokes has been impressive in the summer league posting some double-doubles against some tough competition inside. If Stokes lives up to his potential the Grizzlies will be set in the front-court for a very long time.
This Grizzlies team has plenty left in the tank and at worst will be a seven seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. If Adams can complete the back-court for Memphis the Grizzlies will surprise some people and be one of the top teams in the West.
Potential Starting Lineup:
PG: Mike Conley
SG: Jordan Adams
SF: Tayshaun Prince
PF: Zach Randolph
C: Marc Gasol
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