1997–98 Vancouver Grizzlies season
The 1997–98 NBA season was the Grizzlies' third season in the National Basketball Association. After finishing with the worst record in their first two seasons, the Grizzlies hired Brian Hill as head coach. In the offseason, they acquired Otis Thorpe from the Detroit Pistons, Sam Mack from the Houston Rockets, and signed free agent Tony Massenburg. The Grizzlies would play around.500 early into the season with a 6–7 start, but then struggle again posting a 13-game losing streak between December and January. At midseason, Thorpe was traded back to the Sacramento Kings while Anthony Peeler was dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Grizzlies finally escaped last place by finishing sixth in the Midwest Division with a 19–63 record.
Leading the way in scoring again was second-year star Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who averaged 22.3 points per game. Following the season, top draft pick Antonio Daniels was traded to the San Antonio Spurs, George Lynch signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia 76ers, and Blue Edwards was released.
For the season, the Grizzlies added black alternate road uniforms, which would become their primary road jerseys for the 2000–01 season.
Draft picks
The Grizzlies first draft pick was Antonio Daniels, which was the fourth overall pick in the draft.| Round | Pick | Player | Position | Nationality | College |
| 1 | 4 | Antonio Daniels | PG/SG | United States | Bowling Green State University |
| 2 | 52 | C.J. Bruton | G | United States | Indian Hills Junior College |
Roster
Regular season
The Grizzlies got off to their best start in team history, as thirteen games into the season, the team had a 6–7 record. On October 31, 1997, Violet Palmer made history in Vancouver when she officiated the NBA season opener between the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks, in British Columbia, Canada. The team would then fall into a slump, which included a thirteen-game losing streak as they fell out of playoff contention. Vancouver would finish the year with a 19–63 record, their best in team history, and finish out of last place for the first time ever.Highs
- Vancouver recorded their first ever three game winning streak, as on January 20, they defeated the Denver Nuggets, followed by sweeping a home and home series against the Golden State Warriors.
- On March 23, 1998, Vancouver defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 106–95 to earn their sixteenth win of the season, a team record. Vancouver finished with nineteen wins, four higher than their previous high of fifteen, set in 1995–96.
- The Grizzlies finished out of the Midwest Division cellar for the first time in team history, as they had a 19–63 record, eight games better than the Denver Nuggets, who finished the year 11–71.
Lows
- On January 15, 1998, the Washington Wizards defeat Vancouver 112–110, sending the Grizzlies to their thirteenth consecutive loss.
- From January 27 to April 5, the Grizzlies win only 3 of 31 games.
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Game log
Player statistics
Season
team leaders| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| ' | 82 | 82 | 36.0 | .485 | .412 | .784 | 7.1 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 22.3 |
| 82 | 0 | 17.3 | .435 | .415 | .661 | 3.7 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 4.9 | |
| 74 | 50 | 26.4 | .416 | .212 | .659 | 1.9 | 4.5 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 7.8 | |
| ' | 81 | 20 | 24.3 | .439 | .333 | .837 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 10.8 |
| 27 | 0 | 17.0 | .374 | .143 | .744 | 1.1 | 3.6 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 4.5 | |
| 82 | 0 | 18.2 | .481 | .300 | .703 | 4.4 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 7.5 | |
| 57 | 54 | 24.8 | .397 | .409 | .805 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 10.8 | |
| 61 | 13 | 14.7 | .479 | .000 | .730 | 3.8 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 6.5 | |
| ' | 79 | 32 | 23.2 | .375 | .350 | .745 | 1.4 | 4.4 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 4.6 |
| 28 | 2 | 8.9 | .351 | 1.000 | .567 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 2.1 | |
| 8 | 8 | 25.3 | .486 | .263 | .667 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 9.9 | |
| ' | 74 | 74 | 34.1 | .523 | .000 | .706 | 7.9 | 2.1 | 0.5 | 1.1 | 16.3 |
| 16 | 0 | 8.9 | .351 | .292 | .500 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 3.4 | |
| 6 | 0 | 6.8 | .316 | .500 | 1.000 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 2.8 | |
| 30 | 29 | 23.5 | .504 | .000 | .658 | 6.9 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 6.1 | |
| 47 | 46 | 33.5 | .477 | .000 | .694 | 7.9 | 3.4 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 11.2 |
Awards and records
Transactions
Vancouver acquired forward-center Otis Thorpe in a trade with the Detroit Pistons. The Grizzlies gave up a conditional first round draft pick. Vancouver also acquired Sam Mack from the Houston Rockets to become the team's starting shooting guard. Midway through the season, Thorpe was traded along with Chris Robinson to the Sacramento Kings for Michael Smith and Bobby Hurley.The Grizzlies hired Brian Hill to become the head coach. Hill had previously been the head coach of the Orlando Magic from 1993–1997, leading them to a 191–104 record under his helm. The Magic advanced to the 1995 NBA Finals and had a 60 win season in 1995–96.