Areas of strength:
As long as Rudy Gay makes a successful return from shoulder surgery, they're set with him joining Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol across the front line. Mike Conley has grown into solid orchestrator at the point and O.J. Mayo has grown comfortable and effective coming off the bench as a scoring weapon.

Needs work:
If free agent Shane Battier bolts, as expected, they'll need another defensive specialist to get after it with Tony Allen. For a team with so many willing shooters, they could also use a 3-point shooting specialist to open things up in the middle to give Z-Bo and Gasol more room to rumble.

Two Stats That Matter:
16 -- The number of seasons it took for the franchise to win its first playoff game and first playoff series.

33.4 -- 3-point shooting percent was lowest of any playoff team and ranked 27th in the league.

The Way to Go:
The top priority for the off-season is to get 7-foot free-agent center Marc Gasol signed and back into the fold with the rest of the solid nucleus. There's not a crying need for more young talent to work into the mix. This year's rookie Henry might be the answer on the perimeter or they could take a flyer on a one-trick pony if that trick is filling up the bucket from way downtown.

2010-11 Team Stats:
Offensive: 104.4 (16th)
Defensive: 102.5 (8th)

Players under contract:
G: Mike Conley
G: O.J. Mayo
G: Tony Allen
G: Xavier Henry
G: Greivis Vasquez
G: Ish Smith
F: Zach Randolph
F: Rudy Gay
F: Darrell Arthur

Free Agents:
G/F: Sam Young (Team option)
F: Shane Battier
F: Leon Powe
C: Marc Gasol (Restricted)
C: Hamed Haddadi (Restricted)

-- Fran Blinebury