The Memphis Grizzlies came within one win of becoming just the second No. 8 seed to advance to the conference finals. But is this a future title contender or a team that ran into a couple of favorable matchups?
To remain competitive in the Western Conference, Memphis must:
Mesh with Rudy Gay » The Grizzlies struggled offensively at times because they lacked a scoring option on the perimeter. Luckily, they have an offensive swing player already on their roster in Gay, who missed the entire postseason with a shoulder injury. If Gay returns — there are rumors he may be used as trade bait — he must find a way to complement the Grizzlies’ stars in the post — Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol.
Acquire a 3-point shooter » Memphis was last in the league in 3-pointers made this season. Randolph and Gasol were great in the playoffs, but imagine how effective they could be if they had someone who could hit 3s and spread the floor.
Be more consistent defensively » With Tony Allen and Shane Battier, the Grizzlies proved they can frustrate the league’s top scorer, holding Kevin Durant to 11 points in Game?6. But Durant responded with a 39-point game in Game 7. And in other Memphis losses during the playoffs, Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook scored 40 and Spurs guard Manu Ginobili went for 33.
