Biggest Early Season Storylines for the Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies are exceeding the expectations of optimistic fans by following last season's first-round playoff exit with one of the best starts through the first quarter of the season with a 16-4 record through Dec. 7.

In their opening run, the Grizzlies look different from years past. They're playing faster in the half court with better spacing. Generally, the offense operates smoothly.

While they still grind foes defensively, the Grizzlies balance this with scoring.

This reflects what head coach Dave Joerger desired when he entered the position last summer, but couldn't make it happen in his first year.

Marc Gasol is playing ferociously in a contract year, generating as much free-agency buzz as MVP talk.

The following is a breakdown of the storylines of the Grizzlies' season to this point.

Statistics are current through Dec. 7 games. Unless otherwise noted, advance metrics come from basketball-reference.com.

Marc Gasol Becomes a Beast

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Marc Gasol completed his game this season.

Previously, he dominated on defense while taking a supporting role as a scorer. He has helped allow fewer than 100 points per 100 possessions in three of the past four seasons and won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2012-13.

Meanwhile, he often stood as a complementary scoring option and a pass-first player. In the three prior seasons, he was between second and fourth in field-goal attempts per game.

Gasol, who referred to himself as a "read-and-react guy" after a win against the Sacramento Kings on Nov. 13, has looked to shoot more often. He's leading the team with 19 points and 13.5 shots per game.

He's become more aggressive. He takes 6.6 free-throw attempts per game, 1.7 more than his previous career high, and holds a 25.3 percent usage rate, 3.6 percent higher than last year. His five 25-point performances are already a career high.

The 29-year-old hasn't given up passing. He's averaging 3.7 assists per game, which is 0.3 short of his career high. While struggling through a 1-of-6 shooting affair against the Miami Heat on Sunday, he dished out seven assists.

National observers are noting how he's taking over. NBA.com's Sekou Smith has kept him atop his MVP rankings.

CBSSports.com's Zach Harper declared Gasol the best big man in the NBA, saying, "Gasol's offensive and defensive prowess are hard to match individually, let alone as a total package for a player."

The Grizzlies Are True Contenders

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Through 17 games, the Grizzlies had the best record in the league. Still, after losing two of the past three games, they're tied for the second-best record at 16-4 as of Dec. 7 in the Western Conference and putting observers on notice that they'll stay in the race at the top of the West.

CBSSports.com's Matt Moore said, "Marc Gasol has played like an MVP, and the offense has integrated the concepts Dave Joerger wanted to bring in last year. The result is a team that's top 10 in both offense and defense and looking like a legit contender."

The Grizzlies loomed as a dark horse for a few years because their defense ground teams down. When they had their previous best start through 20 games in 2012-13 at 14-6, they allowed 91.1 points per game.

Now, with plentiful floor spacing, serious outside shooting and Gasol attacking the basket better than ever, they've gained elite status.

As Grantland's Andrew Sharp said, "If you're looking for a dark-horse contender, don't bother with Memphis, because the Grizzlies aren't a secret anymore."

Memphis moved past a soft opening schedule. They're now 6-4 against .500 teams. They won three straight games on the West Coast and beat the Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers by 13 or more.

Stating the team's plan to fight for a title, Mike Conley told ESPN's Jalen Rose in an interview:

"

This year is the year. Before the season started, we felt like we could do it, that we could play in June, and even though no one else believes it. The guys in that room that day of training camp made that promise.

"

As the Grizzlies were reminded in a 107-101 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday and may confront again in their two meetings later in December, Memphis must overcome the Spurs' overwhelming passing and efficiency to reach that goal.

The Offense Thrives

The Grizzlies have excelled offensively thus far. Besides being top-10 in offensive rating, Memphis is fifth in field-goal percentage at 47.1 percent and sixth with 13 turnovers per game.

They've become a respectable three-point shooting team, standing 11th at 36.5 percent after finishing 19th or lower the previous seven years. Courtney Lee and Mike Conley lead the way, shooting 52.8 percent and 43.5 percent, respectively.

The Grizzlies are moving at a quicker pace, which, as Mike Conley told Chris Herrington in an ESPN.com piece, is more about taking shots earlier in the shot clock than running in transition.

Also, Herrington quotes Joerger as saying, "It's based on getting into the offense quicker. Have more ball movement. Create more opportunities for the defense to make a mistake."

SB Nation's Mike Prada credited an assertive Gasol with Grizzlies' offensive improvement. Prada said, "He's always had the size, touch and moves to be The Man, but Joerger has finally coaxed the aggression out of his exceedingly unselfish approach."

Unlike in years past, the Grizzlies can win games without relying on their defense. They're 4-2 when allowing 100 or more, compared with 7-20 last season and 3-8 the year before.

Dave Joerger's Growth

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Joerger has taken as big a step forward in his second year as a head coach as his team. At this time last year, he was struggling to keep the team afloat with Gasol injured. Now, after orchestrating a fast start, he has the Grizzlies running at the pace he said he wanted when he was hired.

He has found greater success executing his offensive plans. Conley told SI.com's Chris Mannix:

"

He has implemented our identity, how we want to play. Last year, we were a little all over the place. We tried to implement what Joerger wanted to do. We did movement, elbow cuts, but we didn't grasp it as quickly as we thought we would. ... This year is a mix. We feel much more comfortable with the mix. We have a better understanding of which groups do better with certain sets.

"

Joerger, who spent six years as a Grizzlies assistant before being promoted, has a stronger hold on the roster. 

"He's a guy who knows his X's and O's, so everybody just bought in this year," Tony Allen told USA Today's Sam Amick.

As a result, Joerger won his third Coach of the Month honor in seven months. Grizzlies communications specialist Ross Wooden tweeted, per Stats, Inc., Joerger's record through 100 games (65-35) was the second-best among active coaches.

Joerger will face challenges down the stretch, although not as daunting as last year, but should bring Memphis into the playoffs stronger since he's helping them balance the offense and defense.

Few Glimpses of the Rookies

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Little has been seen of the Grizzlies' rookies thus far.

Jordan Adams played four games, scoring six points on 1-of-6 shooting in 40 minutes. He's currently with the D-League's Iowa Energy, averaging 14.8 points per game on 42.2 percent from the field and committing 2.3 turnovers per four contests. He scored 20 points against the Texas Legends on Sunday.

Jarnell Stokes has played sparingly in eight games, scoring 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting with 10 rebounds. In his first appearance with significant minutes on Dec. 3 against the Houston Rockets, Stokes scored 12 points in 12 minutes.

The Memphis Flyer's Kevin Lipe took issue with what he called the "Grizzlies' entire organizational philosophy about player development," which seems to place rookies at the end of the bench.

But he felt resigned that both will "spend all year bouncing between Memphis and Des Moines, playing two minutes at a time in NBA games and sitting every time they make a mistake."

Adams will likely spend a significant part of the year with Iowa. But Stokes, who Joerger described to The Commercial Appeal (subscription required) as an "important practice player," should get more opportunities later in the season when Zach Randolph needs more rest.

Will Gasol Re-Up with the Grizzlies?

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Already, talk is bubbling under the surface about whether Gasol will stay with the Grizzlies after this season. The seven-year pro has spent his NBA career in Memphis and attended high school there. 

Thus, Grizzlies fans can't fathom seeing him leave.

The Spaniard hasn't given them any reason to believe he will. During Media Day in September, The Commercial Appeal's Geoff Calkins quoted him as saying (subscription required), "You guys know how much I love the city, you know how much I love this team and this hasn't changed, so we'll see how we feel at the end of the year and we'll go from there."

Gasol is eligible to sign an extension on Dec. 12. However, as he told the New York Times' Billy Witz, he plans to wait until the offseason to make a decision.

A couple suitors have emerged. According to the New York Post's Marc Berman, the New York Knicks will chase him, even though they don't think they can land him. The Spurs are also interested, as Amick reported.

In a CLNS online radio interview, Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace adamantly stated they will re-sign him. He said, "We have every intention of re-signing Marc Gasol. So those other teams are going to have to find another player."

Since Gasol is the best big man in the NBA and an MVP candidate, speculation about where he will be in 2015-16 is unlikely to fade.