Memphis Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama dunks during the third quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Memphis Grizzlies look strong, but is their success sustainable?

Originally posted on Memphis Grizzlies on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Dec 8, 2025 1:30 AM ET

The Memphis Grizzlies have won five of their last six games and are starting to show a little bit of progress this season.

More help is coming as the Grizzlies should be getting All-Star point guard Ja Morant back in the fold as he recovers from his injury.

Some members of the Memphis Grizzlies On SI staff got together to discuss whether or not the Grizzlies' success is sustainable.

Austin Dobbins

The Grizzlies recent success is definitely sustainable, the return of Zach Edey has completely transformed their defense and rebounding capabilities while young guys like Cedric Coward, Jaylen Wells, and Cam Spencer continue to blossom.

Their success will then continue due to health. Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke, Scottie Pippen Jr, and Ty Jerome will all be back soon to help the Grizzlies climb back up through the Western conference.

Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Ethan J. Skolnick

The Grizzlies' success against poor teams is sustainable; they've been good, even without Ja Morant, at getting enough contributions to put away teams that turning to tank mode. The question is whether they will be able to compete with the better squads, after playing few during this stretch.

Memphis seems stuck in the play-in space, and that gives the Grizzlies some room to experiment as they continue to lean into the young players. Let's see if Edey, Coward, Wells and Spencer can all perform well as opponents adjust. And they need more from Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. whenever both are on the court together again.

Jeremy Brener

The Grizzlies have found most of their wins against the bottom half of the league, but that is okay. The Grizzlies can only play whoever is in front of them on the schedule.

The answer to this question will come when Morant comes back on the court. If the Grizzlies can find a way to work in harmony when Morant returns to the floor. There's a legitimate chance that the Grizzlies can compete for one of the top spots in the play-in tournament or even a top six spot in the Western Conference standings if all everything goes in their favor.