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The Memphis Grizzlies are in fifth place in the Western Conference despite dealing with injuries to key players. Marc Gasol is out for the season with a broken foot he suffered against the Portland Trail Blazers on February 8. Mike Conley has been dealing with tendinitis in his Achilles and he is expected to miss a few more weeks.
How are the Grizzlies still surviving without their two best players?
Matt Barnes is having a solid season averaging 9.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. Lockdown defender Tony Allen has turned into an offensive threat. Allen is averaging 15 points over the last 10 games. JaMychal Green and Zach Randolph have played well inside.
Memphis has signed players from all over the place just to compete. Players like Jordan Farmar, Ray McCallum, Xavier Munford, Briante Weber and Alex Stepheson have been added recently. The Grizzlies acquired Chris Andersen, P.J. Hairston, and Lance Stephenson at the trade deadline.
The biggest reason the Grizzlies have still looked competitive on most nights has been the resurgence of Stephenson. In 43 games with the Los Angeles Clippers, he averaged 4.7 points and 2.5 rebounds. One thing to consider is that Stephenson shot 49 percent from the field with the Clippers.
All of a sudden he looks like the player who averaged 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.6 assists with the Indiana Pacers in 2013-14. The 25-year-old is averaging 15.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in 17 games for the Grizzlies in a bench role.
Who would’ve imagined Stephenson being the difference when he arrived in Memphis? If the Grizzlies want to have a chance at surprising their first-round opponent (likely the Clippers), Stephenson will have to play out of his mind.
With Stephenson becoming a free agent (club option) at the end of the season, he will likely earn a bigger paycheck than he envisioned months ago.
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