Best Bet: Over 27.5 Wins (-110)
Worst Bet: To Win the NBA Championship (+25000)
Memphis is coming off of a 33-49 season where they witnessed their stalwart center, Marc Gasol get shipped off to Toronto to win an NBA Championship, while their electrifying point guard Mike Conley was traded away to the Utah Jazz. Not too much to like this season for the Memphis Grizzlies who are dealing with huge roster overturn that it makes it not only predict how they will perform, it makes it hard to predict who will even be starting for them.
One thing’s for sure, Jaren Jackson Jr. will be starting at power forward, while he will probably see some minutes at center. He’s a great scorer and strong rebounder, and will be the leader of this team despite going into his sophomore season. Expect big things from him, maybe even most improved player of the year. Memphis will have Jonas Valanciunas back, who was acquired in the Gasol trade.
His veteran presence and crafty scoring skills should blend well with Jackson’s hard-nosed style of play. After that things get murky. PG rookie JA Morant should see plenty of minutes, and if he can live up to his hype of a solid scorer, this team could gain a couple extra wins thanks to him.
He’ll probably have Tyus Jones backing him up. Dillon Brooks and Josh Jackson will be competing for a starting nod at point guard, while Kyle Anderson and Jae Crowder will be competing for small forward. They also have that Grayson Allen kid who could vie for some minutes.
Grizzlies Win Total: O/U 27.5
The Grizzlies win total has been set at 27.5 wins or losses. The Grizzlies were competitive for an early portion of the season last year before everything came crashing down for them. They were a great scrub team at home though where they went a spectacular 21-20 as they really do feed off of that stellar home crowd. They need to do better on the road though where they went a dreadful 12-29.
This team will continue to preach defense, which this organization never had a problem with as they are usually one of the better defensive units in the league. There problem has been offense, but hopefully with the scoring threat of Jackson Jr and Valanciunas, this team will be able to get easier buckets more often. Also, if Morant can emerge as a scoring threat, then this team could catch people by surprise. Nothing too surprising, but I could see them surpassing 27.5 wins this season considering the success this organization has had playing at home.
Odds to Make the Playoffs: Yes +800, No -1250
Not the greatest odds here, Memphis is going to be in a reloaded Western conference and will have an uphill battle from the get-go. They finished 12th in the Western Conference last season, and this season should be not much different. Teams that didn’t make the playoffs last year include the Kings, Pelicans, Lakers, and Mavericks. All teams that have certainly enhanced their rosters. Meanwhile Grizzlies have a whole bunch of no-names and uncertainties to boldly predict them to make the playoffs. The odds for them to make playoffs is high for a reason. Bearing some type of crazy miracle, this team will be on the outside looking in come playoff time.
Odds to Win the Southwest Division: +10000
The Grizzlies have the worst odds to win the Southwest Division, but are you surprised? They have to compete with an improved Rockets, Spurs, Mavericks and Pelicans team. Pelicans have the fourth worst odds at +1000, so it’s saying a lot to make Memphis at +10000 odds. This one has no shot because what are the odds that Rockets and Spurs have ugly seasons. It just doesn’t happen.
Odds to Win the Western Conference: +15000
Their odds get a little worst winning the Western Conference as compared to winning the Southwest Division. Still, very terrible odds and for good reason. This would be a monumental accomplishment for this team to win the Western conference considering they’d have to get through the likes of the Clippers, Lakers, Rockets, Jazz, etc. They cannot beat any of these teams in a best of 7 series and this type of bet should be avoided due to the fact that you’ll just be tossing money down the drain.
Odds To Win NBA Championship: +25000
This one is rich! This would be even more monumental than winning the Western Conference. This means they would have to beat a combo all those Western Conference teams previously mentioned. And of course beat the best of the best from the Eastern Conference. It would be a great feat to see in the NBA, but it is unrealistic and has no shot at happening. You could sprinkle a little tiny amount of money on this, but throw no more than a dollar because they are aren’t even coming close to an NBA Championship here.
