Memphis Grizzlies 2024-25 schedule analysis: Toughest, easiest stretches, Ja Morant returns

One more month sits between seven months of non-stop Memphis Grizzlies basketball action. The 2024-25 Grizzlies schedule was released Thursday.

Memphis will be featured on 17 games between ESPN, TNT and NBA TV. The Grizzlies are projected by most sportsbooks to finish in the middle of the Western Conference pack while fighting for a top six seed.

Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart and several other Grizzlies players who fought through the injury bug last season are back healthy. When Morant was active, Memphis went 6-3 last season. Without the two-time all-star, Memphis went 21-52.

Here are some takeaways from the 2024-25 Grizzlies schedule.

The start and finish for Grizzlies, Ja Morant

The Grizzlies will begin the season on the road for their first two games. While that may not be the best news, the two games will be against Western Conference teams that did not make the playoffs (Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets). Despite an underwhelming season last year, Memphis was actually a solid road team.

If the Grizzlies don't start strong, they had better try to run through the finish line. Memphis will end the season against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks. Maybe the West standings will be solidified by then, but those three teams are projected to be some of the best in the conference.

MLK Day against Minnesota Timberwolves

The Grizzlies will welcome the Timberwolves for this season's annual MLK Day matchup. Memphis eliminated Minnesota in the first round of the 2022 playoffs. However, the Timberwolves made the Western Conference Finals last season behind the superstar emergence of shooting guard Anthony Edwards. Former Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley Jr. also starts for Minnesota.

Grizzlies down to nine national TV games

Following the 2021-22 season, the Grizzlies had 18 national TV games. That total went down to 13 last season, but 12 of those games were scheduled after Morant was projected to return from a 25-game suspension. That number is down to nine total this season.

It's completely understandable considering Memphis finish near the bottom of the conference last season. The Grizzlies have thrived in the past as underdogs, and it's something players like Morant and Bane have been vocal about. The 2024-25 season is there next opportunity to rise to the occasion.

Memphis' most difficult stretch

Merry Christmas to the Grizzlies. Their gift is one of the NBA's hardest schedules after Dec. 25. From Dec. 27 to MLK Day on Jan. 20, Memphis will play 12 games. Nine of those games will be on the road and eight will be against Western Conference teams that made the postseason. Memphis will be on the road against New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Sacramento and Dallas from Dec. 27 to Jan. 4. That may be one of the toughest stretches in the NBA.

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Memphis' least difficult stretch

Memphis will have a chance to set the tone early and often. From Oct. 28 through Nov. 10, the Grizzlies will play eight games. Five of those will be at home and against teams that didn't make the postseason. This will come while many of the Western Conference's top projected teams face some of the most difficult schedules in the NBA.

Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies 2024-25 schedule: Ja Morant returns, five takeaways