Will Grizzlies continue bizarre NBA Finals trend?

A bizarre trend has developed in the NBA Finals over the last five years. 

Four of the last five finalists missed the postseason a year before.

The 2020 champion Lakers missed the playoffs in 2018-19, the 2021 runner-up Suns missed the playoffs in 2019-20, the 2022 champion Warriors missed the playoffs in 2020-21 and the 2024 runner-up Mavericks missed the playoffs in 2022-23.

Granted, there were valid reasons for the occurrence. In 2018-19, LeBron James didn't have Anthony Davis by his side. In 2019-20, the Suns were without Chris Paul's leadership. In 2020-21, the Warriors were without Klay Thompson. And in 2022-23, the Mavericks were still trying to figure out the Kyrie Irving-Luka Doncic dynamic.

Will the Grizzlies — who missed the playoffs in the 2023-24 season — continue the trend by making the 2025 NBA Finals? 

Richard Jefferson believes it's possible, considering the Grizzlies were the No. 2 seed for two consecutive seasons in 2021-22 and 2022-23 before injuries and suspensions derailed their 2023-24 campaign.

"We were talking about them [Grizzlies] two seasons ago the same we're talking about the OKC Thunder right now," Jefferson said on ESPN's "NBA Today" on Wednesday. "They were trending in that direction. People had them picked to go to the Finals. People had this team as the hottest team over the next three or four years. Obviously, they had some injuries and off-the-court stuff...but they have a ton of talent. So if you told me this team popped up in the Conference Finals or Finals, it's not a surprise. That's doing what they were expected to do."

Jefferson also acknowledged that the Grizzlies have two former Defensive Player of the Year winners in Jaren Jackson Jr. and Marcus Smart, an elite shooter in Desmond Bane and a superstar in Ja Morant — the ideal recipe for the team to make the NBA Finals in 2025.  

It's worth noting that the Grizzlies will also be getting back key role player Brandon Clarke, who missed last season with an Achilles injury. Furthermore, Memphis signed veteran guard Derrick Rose and drafted Rookie of the Year favorite Zach Edey this offseason. There's little doubt that this team is loaded. 

Memphis is projected to win 46.5 games next season, but that number could rise significantly once Morant and Co. regain their mojo. The team won over 50 games in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. 

The Grizzlies open their 2024-25 campaign against the Jazz on Oct. 23.