The Grizzlies had a solid 2012-13 season overall despite getting swept by the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals.  The Grizzlies finished up with a 56-26 record (68.3%) record during the regular season, which had them in second place in the Southwest Division, 2 games behind the Spurs.  The Grizzlies also went 8-7 (53.3%) in the playoffs last year.  Here is a look at the players who made the biggest impacts for the Grizzlies in 2012-13, in my opinion:

TEAM MVP:  Zach Randolph – 31-year old power forward Zach Randolph was the Grizzlies’ best all-around player in 2012-13.  He played in 76 games (75 starts) for the Grizzlies last year and he averaged 34.3 minutes, 15.4 points, 11.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.  He had 45 double-doubles for the Grizzlies last year.  Randolph scored at least 20 points in 13 games last year and he had 10 or more rebounds in a very impressive 48 games.

BIGGEST SURPRISE:  Marc Gasol – 28-year old center Marc Gasol’s defense was the biggest surprise for the Grizzlies in 2012-13.  He was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2012-13.  Gasol played in 80 games (all starts) for the Grizzlies last year and he averaged 35.0 minutes, 14.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.7 blocked shots per game.  Gasol had 18 double-doubles for the Grizzlies last year.  He had 17 games in which he scored at least 20 points last year.  He also had 20 games with 10 or more rebounds, 32 games with 5 or more assists, 11 games with 3 or more assists and 20 games with 3 or more blocked shots last year.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT:  Ed Davis – 23-year old power forward Ed Davis was part of the return the Grizzlies got from Toronto when they dealt Rudy Gay to them.  Davis played in 36 games (4 starts) for the Grizzlies last year and he averaged 15.1 minutes, 5.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game.  Davis played in 81 games (28 starts) overall last year for the Raptors and Grizzlies in which he averaged 20.1 minutes, 7.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game.  Despite his sub par play with the Grizzlies after the deal with the Raptors, he still has a nice upside.

The Grizzlies head into the All-Star Break with a 33-18 record (64.7%).  The Grizzlies are #4 in the Western Conference, 7.5 games behind the Spurs.  Here is a look at the players who made the biggest impacts for the Grizzlies in the first half of the 2012-13 season:

Team MVP:  Zach Randolph – 31-year old power forward Zach Randolph has stayed healthy this year and the results have been good.  He has played in 49 games (all starts) for the Grizzlies so far this year and he is averaging 35.2 minutes, 15.6 points, 11.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.  The Grizzlies need him to stay healthy if they are going to make a deep playoff run in 2012-13.

Biggest Surprise:  Darrell Arthur – 24-year old PF/C Darrell Arthur has been playing well this year, after missing a huge chunk of last year and the start of this year due to injury.  Arthur has played in 39 games (0 starts) for the Grizzlies so far this year and he is averaging 17.9 minutes, 6.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  The Grizzlies hope that Arthur can stay healthy the rest of the 2012-13 season.

Biggest Disappointment:  Tony Wroten – 19-year old guard Tony Wroten is looking a little bit overmatched as a rookie so far this year for the Grizzlies.  He has played in 17 games (0 starts) for the Grizzlies so far this year and he is averaging 8.8 minutes, 3.4 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.  He is only shooting 35.7% from the floor so far this year.  To be fair, he hasn’t gotten the chance to play too much so far this year.

The Memphis Grizzlies had an outstanding year in 2011-12 as they finished up with a 41-25 (62.1%) record during the regular season.  But, they were beaten in 7 games by the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs and that was a disappointment.  Here are the players that made the biggest impacts for the Grizzlies in my eyes in 2011-12:

Team MVP:  Rudy Gay & Marc Gasol – The Grizzlies had co-MVP’s in my eyes in Rudy Gay and Marc Gasol.  Gay played in 65 games (all starts) for the Grizzlies last year and he averaged 37.3 minutes, 19.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game.  Marc Gasol had to muscle up with Zach Randolph missing most of last season due to injury.  He played in 65 games (all starts) for the Grizzlies last year and he averaged 36.5 minutes, 14.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.9 blocked shots per game.

Biggest Surprise:  Marreese Speights – The Grizzlies dealt for 25-year old power forward Marreese Speights early last year to help them compensate for the loss for Zach Randolph.  He played in 60 games (54 starts) for the Grizzlies last year and he averaged 22.4 minutes, 8.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.

Biggest Disappointment:  Sam Young – 26-year old SG/SF Sam Young didn’t play too well for the Grizzlies in 2011-12 and it led to them dealing him to the 76ers at the trade deadline.  Young played in 21 games (2 starts) for the Grizzlies last year and he averaged 11.4 minutes, 3.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  Young only shot 38.6% from the floor for the Grizzlies last year.