17 wins, 2 losses! Even if Morant's absence from the Grizzlies has a higher winning percentage, there is still no replacement for him in the playoffs

I still remember that before the start of last year's playoffs, not many people were optimistic that the Spurs and Grizzlies would be able to qualify. After all, the Lakers, who were ranked seventh in the West at the time, fell out of the top six in the West because of the injuries of James and Thick Brow; and the Warriors also fell to the eighth place in the West because of Curry's repeated injuries.

So after James, Thick Brow, Curry and other superstars recovered their health, the outside world is more optimistic about the play-offs to advance to the team is the Lakers and Warriors, not spurs or Grizzlies. In the end, the Lakers did advance to the first round of the playoffs with the "James combination", but the Warriors, who were overly dependent on Curry, lost to the Grizzlies and missed the playoffs...

The Warriors and Grizzlies, who are not optimistic about the new season, have squeezed into the top three in the West

Last year's warriors and Grizzlies' strength performance at the playoff level has made the outside world think that it is difficult for them to make a difference in the new season. After all, the Lakers have a big three in the new season, the Suns only played the Strength of the Finals last season, and the Jazz just won the first record in the West...

Unexpectedly, in the new season, in addition to the Suns, the Lakers and Jazz failed to squeeze into the top three in the West. The Warriors, who were not optimistic, relied on Players such as Poole, Wiggins, damien Lee and other players to exert their strength, and once played the league's first record performance. Even when Curry's personal performance slipped later in the season, they were able to stabilize the top three in the West.

Although the Grizzlies did not start the season as amazingly as the Warriors (only achieving a regular record of 3 wins and 3 losses), they were able to squeeze into the top three in the West in the middle and late part of the season with the performance of Morant's superstar and the team's balanced offensive and defensive performance.

Although the overall record and ranking of the Warriors and Grizzlies are not much different at present, in contrast, the Warriors rely more on the performance of the stars in charge. For example, in the five games that Curry recently missed, the Warriors only achieved a bad record of 1 win and 4 losses with players such as Thompson, Green, Wiggins, and Poole.

So far in the new season, when Morant missed the game, the Grizzlies were not only "unaffected", but even achieved better performances. In the 19 games that Morant missed, the Grizzlies had a record of 17 wins and 2 losses, with a 89.5 percent winning percentage. For comparison, the 73-win Warriors had a win rate of 89% and the 72-win Bulls had a win rate of 87.8%...

Because of this, there is a "discordant" sound in the league today - the Grizzlies without Morant can play better, especially from the perspective of the team's record, Morant's absence or not seems to really have not had much impact on the team.

In the new season, Morant missed the number of games, and the Grizzlies achieved a record of 17 wins, 2 losses + 89.5% win rate, while in the games that Morant played, the Grizzlies only achieved a record of 35 wins, 21 losses + 76.1% win rate.

Judging from the winning percentage of the record alone, it seems that no Grizzlies of Morant can play to their advantages and win the game by playing better. But without Morant, can the Grizzlies really play better?

Even if Morant's absence from the Grizzlies has a higher winning percentage, there is still no replacement for him in the playoffs

Although Morant's personal role is infinitely diluted in the Grizzlies' team basketball, his role in the team is still irreplaceable. In fact, Morant's role in the Grizzlies is now the same as Rose's role in bulls...

In the 10-11 season, Rose led the Bulls to play a 62-20 league first record, but unfortunately, Rose, who was at the peak of the Eastern Conference Finals that year, encountered the Heat Big Three who were "eager to revenge and win the championship", and finally lost 1-4.

In the 11-12 season, Rose played only 39 games due to injury that year. But the Bulls still have a record of 50 wins and 16 losses in the league, and even in rose's absences, they can still maintain a 70% winning percentage. On the contrary, when Rose came out, he played "smoothly" without him.

I thought that even without Rose, the bull would have a certain strength. But I didn't expect that when Rose was injured in the first round of the playoffs, the Bulls faced Philadelphia, who was eighth in the East at the time, and suffered a "black eight"...

Morant's current situation and role for the Grizzlies is actually like Rose's at that time - when Rose is absent, relying on the play of Rohr Dun, Boozer, Hamilton, Noah and others, the Bulls can still maintain a certain offensive and defensive intensity.

And now when Morant is absent, the Grizzlies, who play team basketball, under the blessing of Jones, Jackson, Bain, Brooks and others, they can still maintain a certain offensive and defensive intensity, especially in terms of defensive intensity, Morant has little impact on the team.

It is precisely because the team can find a way to make up for Morant's absence, so the Grizzlies can get a record of 17 wins and 2 losses in his absence. But the problem is that the intensity of the playoffs is completely different from the regular season, and can the regular season Grizzlies make up for Morant's vacancy and the playoffs?

When facing the Warriors in the playoffs last season, when the game was stuck in a stalemate, it was Morant who stepped forward - with a full performance of 35 points, 6 boards, 6 assists and 4 blocks (6 of 11 shots in the final quarter and overtime, 15 points and 1 board and 2 assists), the Grizzlies were able to beat the Warriors in the playoffs.

Compared with the previous two seasons, Morant in the new season continues to evolve. He currently averages 27.6 points, 5.7 boards, 6.7 assists per game, and 49.3% shooting percentage of his personal performance; if it were not for his breakthrough and scoring in the new season, which successfully helped the team attract a lot of defense, the other Grizzlies players would not be able to play easily.

If Morant can't play in this playoff, the Grizzlies are now like the Hawks in the 14-15 season, with multiple players averaging in double figures per game and a brilliant record in the regular season. You can know the end of the Hawks in the 15-year playoffs, but they were easily swept out by James 4-0.

That is to say, if Morant is not able to play in the playoffs of the real knife and real gun, then the Grizzlies will most likely be defeated by the "following offenses" like the Bulls in the 12-year playoffs. Or break into the Western Conference playoffs and be swept out by a powerful team.

In summary, although the new season of the Grizzlies in the game without Morant, have achieved a good record performance. But they were able to minimize the impact of Morant's absence in the regular season, but they couldn't do so in the playoffs. Once Morant can't play in the playoffs, then even if the Grizzlies finish first in the regular season West, they can't go further in the playoffs, because no one can replace Morant...