Memphis is grateful for the easy gauntlet after Europe

The regrouping Memphis Grizzlies implemented it hibernates near the lottery-bound basement for most of the season. That’s not where the list is built around Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr.and Zach Edei expects to live, and that’s not where EVP/GM Zach Kleiman intends to end up. Fortunately, the road ahead offers a golden opportunity to Tuomas Iisalo to climb out of an early hole and get back into postseason news.

Bringing Morant back into the lineup was the first step, and it went very well. The All-Star had 24 points and 13 assists in a win over the London Orlando Magic. After that, it’s math scary, but not impossible. The Grizzlies (18-23) are 6.5 games behind the Los Angeles Lakers (24-16) and Phoenix Suns (25-17), who spent most of the winter trading sixth and seventh. The Golden State Warriors (24-19) and Portland Trail Blazers (21-22) are the first hurdles to clear.

With the season barely past its midpoint, that gap isn’t insurmountable, but it does require the kind of consistency Iisalo has struggled to find. Fortunately, a critical length of 23 games which carries the team until the beginning of March is particularly accommodating. This stretch is the soft part of the 82-game stretch as 16 are against teams that are currently slated for the lottery or playoff fringes. Five are against the Warriors or Trail Blazers.

After defeating the Brooklyn Nets as a send-off to Europe, Memphis will face them again on March 9. Even a seven-game slate against contenders comes with a break. Denver Nuggets likely to be without Nikola Jokic; The Houston Rockets have fallen (5-5) of late, posting a (13-14) record against the Western Conference through January 18th.

Two home games in three days against the Minnesota Timberwolves provide the next significant test. The second meeting (Feb. 2) against Anthony Edwards marks the final FedEx forum game before the NBA trade deadline. Whoever remains on the roster after that will bond over a five-game road trip leading up to Sunday’s All-Star break.

The Grizzlies return from the All-Star mini-break and play four games in six days, three of which are at home. Four of the next six after that stretch come on the road, but just a trip to Minnesota looks daunting if Memphis stays fully healthy. Morant’s numbers should look much better in a month, if he’s still on the team.

Checking the numbers reveals both opportunity and urgency. A 16-7 run over this favorable stretch would push the Grizzlies to 34-30. However, that record may not prove to be good enough to leapfrog the Trail Blazers, much less the Warriors. That would definitely close the margins of entry for everyone else. The Grizzlies face the Trail Blazers three times and the Warriors twice in the coming weeks, making those back-to-backs virtual must-wins to clinch position in the standings. It’s a hole the Grizzlies dug for themselves.

However, fortune favors the brave and I Morant’s Grizzlies look ready to make some serious postseason noise. The immediate goal is to climb to at least eighth place, which guarantees two chances to win in one game to qualify for the playoffs. Finishing ninth means hosting the Play-In game, but then you have to win the second away game. Tenth place means the steepest climb. Now, with the jet lag in the rearview mirror, Memphis is turning its focus to a series of games that could erase the sting of a slow start.

This schedule is a gift the Grizzlies can’t afford to waste. For a team built around the transcendent talent of quarterback Ja Morant and with aspirations of making postseason noise, every game against a struggling opponent is a chance to build rhythm, confidence and vital wins. The runway to re-enter the playoff conversation is clear. Now, the Grizzlies must prove that they are out of hibernation and ready to run.