Only the Grizzlies know how aggressive they’re prepared to be so early in the Ja Morant/Jaren Jackson Jr. era, but dismiss them at your own peril. Most of the other teams projected to have salary cap space next summer — Atlanta, Charlotte and Cleveland — likewise suffer from reputations that suggest they will be free-agent spectators, so I certainly won’t be surprised if the Grizzlies ignore the naysayers and try to pounce.

Of course, if things stay on their current track and Ingram keeps producing like this, one presumes both he and the Pelicans would have considerable mutual interest in continuing the relationship.

I’m as eager as you to see how aggressive those other teams get. Atlanta is a another great curiosity given the progress of Trae Young and Co., combined with the Hawks’ closer proximity to true contention. That’s just the reality for a team with the privilege of being in the Eastern Conference.

Q: Spurs fans never expect to get any sort of meaningful national coverage or recognition. That said, I see my guys finishing seventh in the West and contending for a berth into the Western Conference finals. Thoughts? — Steve Price (Austin, Texas)

Stein: The conference is so competitive that’s it’s hard to pick any top eight with certitude. While the Warriors looked even more vulnerable early than we anticipated in last week’s newsletter, two teams in the West not expected to make any noise (Phoenix and Memphis) proved to be more than mere tough outs in the opening week.

I have the Spurs down as a playoff team largely because I’m too afraid to pick against them after 22 consecutive playoff berths. It’s likewise true that they still have quality depth, two veterans who produce at a high level in LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan and, of course, Gregg Popovich’s coaching.

You’re on your own, though, with that Western Conference finals stuff.

That would require far more evidence than we have after a couple San Antonio wins over Eastern Conference teams (Washington and the Knicks) projected to miss the playoffs — and a narrow win over Portland with the Trail Blazers on the second night of a back to back. It would also likely require Dejounte Murray and Derrick White to coalesce into a fully functioning backcourt tandem. And there is realistically a third requirement: Murray and White, who have scarcely played together thus far, have to click while establishing a smooth coexistence offensively in the same lineup alongside Aldridge and DeRozan and their reliance on midrange scoring.