1. Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph are healthy
Two seasons ago, the Grizzlies were forced to make their playoff run without Gay on the court. To the surprise of some, they were able to win one playoff series, upsetting the top-seeded Spurs and taking the Thunder to seven games without their leading scorer.
Optimism was running high when the Grizz entered the 2011-12 season with both Gay and Randolph 
healthy. What followed was another shot of misfortune, when they lost Randolph for two-plus months.
Even as Randolph returned, he wasn’t nearly the same All-Star caliber power forward that we had been used to seeing. This led to an underwhelming stretch where it only seemed as if Gay and Randolph could not co-exist on the court.
That narrative is a bit overstated. Sure, the Grizzlies have been successful in runs where either Gay or
Randolph were injured. But the starting five of Mike Conley, Tony Allen, Marc Gasol, Gay and Randolph was the most successful lineup for the Grizzlies last season in offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, plus-minus and win percentage.
How were the Grizzlies able to sustain a high level of play without Randolph? Well, they watched as Marc Gasol developed into an All-Star, saw Conley turn into a better-than-sufficient point guard and essentially stole Marreese Speights from Philadelphia. It had nothing to do with an elevation of Gay’s game simply because Randolph wasn’t in the lineup. And for that, there’s still reason for the Grizzlies to want to continue to build around Gay and Randolph.
Granted, this is a big season for Rudy and Zach, one which has all the feeling of make-or-breakup. The good news is both players recognize they’ve been put on notice. The hope is that will only cause for more motivation to make this thing work.
2. The maturation of Zach Randolph
We saw at the end of last season that Randolph had taken several steps in transforming from an immature talent into a leader who not only has said but also done the right things.
Remember, when Randolph returned from injury last season, the Grizzlies were in the midst of playing some of their best basketball with Speights starting at power forward. Randolph, who had forever been a leader in usage rate and often times referred to as a selfish player, was more than willing to come off the bench for the good of the team because he cared more about wins and less about individual stats.
Sure, it seems like a common sense adjustment, but we are talking about Zach Randolph here, a founding member of the Portland Jail Blazers. To see how far he has come from his days in Portland to where he is now – as not only a team leader but also a community leader in Memphis – it is truly impressive and part of the reason why Grizzlies fans feel so strongly about him being the face of the franchise.
3. The grit and the grind
The Grizzlies have an identity, in big part because of the leadership from coach Lionel Hollins and both the on- and off-the-court personality of the team’s unofficial figurehead, Tony Allen.
That identity really encapsulates the style of play by guys such as Allen and Gasol, plus the change in style by Conley, who was once deemed soft and mismatched on the defensive side of the ball. This mentality has turned the Grizzlies into a tough team, almost reminiscent of the Spurs – which, as we know, isn’t a bad team to model yourselves after.
For years, Memphis was deemed a soft team without a look or direction. Then came the overhaul which eventually led to the Grit and the Grind. It’s refreshing to see that the team has carried this mantra with it over two seasons and now is looked at as one of the toughest defensive matchups in the NBA. Keeping with that, the team’s defense only continues to improve, with a strong paint presence and one of the best off-the-ball defensive backcourts.
This remains as a key to why the Grizzlies are among the top teams in the NBA.
4. Josh Selby and Tony Wroten
Two of the biggest needs for the Grizzlies this offseason were finding a backup point guard and as much help as they could in adding talent who can shoot 3-pointers. Enter Josh Selby and Tony Wroten.
It’s far too soon for anyone to say that Selby is a sufficient replacement for Mayo, but there’s certainly
reason to be optimistic about his offseason development. We saw him emerge in the Las Vegas Summer League as he hit 3-pointer after 3-pointer, earning him co-MVP honors.
It wouldn’t be fair to Selby for the Grizzlies to now lean on him based on his performance this summer, but
considering that the Grizzlies were the absolute worst 3-point shooting team in the NBA last season, Selby’s newfound stroke from the arc is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. To see him develop beyond the D-League-bound, overwhelmed rookie he was last season leaves the team hopeful that it may have finally found someone who can open up the offense and stretch the floor.
As for Wroten, the teenage rookie has plenty of Grizzly potential. He is by no means a perfect player but is a perfect system player. His jumper is broken but not something that can’t be fixed; he’s still just 19 years old. Wroten has the makeup of being a highly skilled on-ball defender with an ability to run the offense. He’s long, athletic and still learning the game.
The Grizzlies acquired veteran guards Jerryd Bayless and Wayne Ellington this summer to take a bit of the
immediate pressure off Selby and Wroten, who now can be brought along at a comfortable pace.
5. The new ownership group
For years, Grizzlies fans were worried that owner Michael Heisley would try to move the team (to Chicago?) or sell the team to someone whose objective was to uproot the team (to Orange County, California?).
Now, however, Heisley has found an ownership group, led by supposed billionaire Robert Pera, that has 
signed on to keep the team in Memphis for at least the next 15 years. The group includes actor/musician Justin Timberlake, Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning and former NBA All-Star Penny Hardaway. Take that, Brooklyn.
The small-market Grizzlies now have muscle behind them, as well as deep pockets that seem to be willing to go above and beyond to put a winning team on the court. There are still plenty of questions about how Pera will run the team – fiscally speaking – but all indication is that he is coming at this from the perspective of a fan and not just looking at it as a business opportunity. That’s refreshing to hear.
With this, there’s opportunity for the Grizzlies to make smart basketball moves and not just financially fueled money-saving decisions. It is comforting to know that if the Grizzlies do need to make a move at the deadline, they won’t automatically be hindered by financial constraints.
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Tom Lorenzo is the editor of Straight Outta Vancouver, an SB Nation blog covering the Memphis Grizzlies. You can follow him on Twitter at @TomLorenzo.