This image is a derivative of 2013 Memphis Grizzlies 1 by Michael Tipton (CC BY-SA 2.0)

As we approach the halfway point of the 2019-20 NBA season, the Memphis Grizzlies can already be considered one of the great stories.

With the Grizzlies given a 27.5 win total by the bookmakers before the season tipped off, the Celtics will have been licking their lips at the prospect of a lottery pick coming their way. Memphis' 2020 first-round pick is owed to Boston (Prot. 1-6).

However, the Grizzlies are 6-1 since bringing in the new year.

They've averaged an NBA-high 125.6 points per game in that time playing with a 120.1 offensive rating (2nd). While the offence thrives, it's their 109.4 defensive rating that gives them the fourth-best net rating since January 1 at +10.9. Before coming into 2020, Memphis' defensive rating ranked 25th in the NBA at 112.0.

This remarkable and unexpected improvement has been enough to propel the Grizzlies into the 8th seed with a 19-22 record. The talk is all of a sudden about the playoffs. Andre Iguodala has been waiting to be moved but is now is being mentioned as a possible contributor rather than just a trade chip.

Out of nowhere, the Grizzlies are the story of the season, and they're being led by the favourite for Rookie of the Year.

ROY In Waiting, Ja Morant

Ja Morant said his dad was his first hater, but now, NBA fans have fallen in love with his fearless drives, gravity-defying dunks, and the massive chip on his shoulder.

Morant was picked 2nd behind Zion Williamson in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Hidden beneath one of the most talked-about prospects in NBA history in Williamson, Morant flew under the radar in the build-up to the season. Those that keep up with college players had seen Morant's potential as a playmaker and that his athleticism is otherworldly. Still, for the casual fan that relies on headlines and 10-second videos to scout draft picks, Morant was a lanky guard that didn't shoot particularly well.

Now 35 games into his NBA career, Morant has become known for his high-rising feats and for almost ending Kevin Love's career with one of the best missed dunks we've ever seen.

He drives to the lane with controlled violence, looking to take the head off of whoever dares stand in his way.

But more recently, he's caught fire from beyond the arc. Morant embarrassed the Rockets when they dared him to shoot. He buried three of four long-range attempts and made sure James Harden knew who he was meant to be guarding.

Morant is averaging 18 points, 3.5 rebounds, 6.9 assists and one steal per game. He's shooting 49.4% on his 13.7 shots and, as Harden now knows, can knock them down from three at a 40.7% clip.

The 20-year-old is angry when he's on the court.

The chip on his shoulder keeps growing with the three-point shots against the most prolific long-range shooter playing in the league motivated by the doubters:

"The doubters said I couldn't shoot, so I'm proving them wrong. They keep going under the screens, so I just shoot and make them pay."

When you put Morant's clearly capable long-range shooting beside his desire to drive through the lane at any opportunity, you've got a guy defence's struggle to contain.

Morant is 9th in the NBA in drives with 17.4 per game. He scores 9.7 points per game on drives (57.8% shooting in the restricted area) while dishing out 2.1 assists. 

Then there is Morant's passing; perhaps his greatest attribute and one that could put him amongst the greats of the game once his career is done.

He shows it all against the Rockets, going around the back, dizzying defenders before throwing the ally opp, drawing three defenders for an easy assist, and always seeming to find the open man.

Morant is the reason why the Grizzlies have been able to exceed every expectation put on them so far. He is the reason the Memphis locals have hope for a future that now looks as though will come sooner than anticipated. But he's not doing it all on his own. Morant has help, and like Morant, they're only just getting started.

The NBA's Best Young Core

Jaren Jackson Jr is on his own trajectory. The 4th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, Jackson showed promising signs despite missing the last quarter of his rookie season. While slow to start the 2019-20 season, Jackson has well and truly taken off since the beginning of December. In his 23 games since December 1, Jackson Jr has averaged 20.1 points on 42.1% shooting from beyond the arc (7.4 3PA), 4.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.7 blocks per game.

Both just 20-years old, the Morant/Jackson partnership is the future of Memphis.

Becoming part of the future themselves, Dillon Brooks (24), Brandon Clarke (23) and De'Anthony Melton (21) make for a promising core.

After managing just 18 games in 2018-19, Brooks has played in all 41 Grizzlies games so far this season to average 15.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

Clarke has provided the Grizzlies with consistent play off the bench for his 12.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. His 22.3 player efficiency rating leads all rookies at the halfway point of the season.

Melton's 8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3 assists in 17.3 minutes per game don't jump off the page. One number does, though. Melton is +158 since December 1. Only nine players have done better, and they carry names like Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Rudy Gobert.

In Morant, Jackson, Brooks, Clarke and Melton, the Grizzlies have the best young core in the NBA. While the likes of the Hawks, Suns, Timberwolves and Kings spend years navigating a slow rebuild, the Grizzlies have laid the foundations and already have the frames in place for a playoff push. They've leapt up the timeline in half a season thanks to successful draft nights and elite asset management (see:  fleecing the Suns for Melton).

The Grizzlies are the people's team for now. They're the underdog everybody is pulling for and Morant is the future superstar universally liked. But as with every good team and player, the support doesn't last forever.

It won't be long before the Grizzlies are the hunted and Morant has desperate detractors nit-picking his every move and statistical category. Unfortunately, it's the blueprint of elite careers in sports these days.

Morant is ready, though.

As he says: "It really doesn't bother me because my dad was my first hater, so if I can take it from him, I can take it from anybody."

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