Cam Boozer’s first preseason look in a Memphis Grizzlies uniform comes Monday, Oct. 5 in Atlanta, and the spotlight is going to find him fast.
The No. 3 pick enters Memphis with the kind of hype that doesn’t need much introduction. The Grizzlies are heading into their first season after Ja Morant, and Boozer is being talked about as the player who could become the face of the franchise. At 19, he arrives with a reputation as one of the most highly regarded draft prospects of all time, which is why every early glimpse matters.
What should fans watch first? The role.
Memphis is projecting Boozer as its starting power forward, and the plan is already pointing toward more perimeter responsibility than he had in college. He did plenty of damage in the post at Duke, but he also spent time on the perimeter and even handled pick-and-roll duties.
That part of his game is expected to show up more often now.
“I’m going to be more perimeter-oriented,” Boozer said.
That matters because one of the biggest questions around him has always been his build. At 6-9 and 250 pounds, he’s been labeled by some scouts and analysts as a tweener - not quite quick enough for the three, not quite big enough to be a true center. Memphis leaning into his perimeter game this early is at least a sign that the Grizzlies see a bigger offensive ceiling than that label suggests.
And the ceiling is really what makes Boozer so interesting. His feel for the game and his passing at that size are the traits that can change an offense.
Duke ran a lot through him as both a scorer and a facilitator, and if he’s going to hit his highest level in the NBA, he’ll need to keep doing that. The open question has been how fast that role comes together.
“My game is just having elite feel... You can really put me anywhere on the court and I can succeed and help the team win games” Cam Boozer pic.twitter.com/90ELQzlGBP
“You're just going to see my feel for the game, my decision-making,” Boozer said. “Attacking defenders, getting downhill, making reads. I think the main thing is you're going to see me making plays and being a decision-maker.”
That sounds like a player Memphis plans to feature early, not slowly ease in. The offensive blueprint for Boozer is as intriguing as it gets for a rookie, because the Grizzlies aren’t just asking him to finish plays - they want him to help create them.
Defense is the other side of the equation. Boozer’s size and athletic profile raise real questions there, and he knows it. He said he leans on his mind more than his physical gifts.
“Obviously, I'm not the most physically gifted in terms of NBA standards,” Boozer said. “Just my mind being able to make plays and use that to disrupt the offense.”
Memphis appears to view him as more of a helper on that end, with Edey expected to be the primary rim protector and Cedric Coward and Jaylen Wells handling the main point-of-attack work on the perimeter. There is one wrinkle, though: Edey’s availability for the preseason is in question, which could make the Grizzlies’ defense look different than it ultimately should once he’s on the floor.
In Other News...
Grizzlies Already Have An Injury Concern They Really Didn't Need
The Grizzlies were hoping to use the preseason to get a cleaner look at their frontcourt mix, but the early returns have already brought a familiar kind of unease. Isaiah Stewarts first game in a Memphis uniform ended almost as soon as it began against Atlanta, and Zach Edey remained sidelined as he continues recovering from ankle and elbow surgeries, leaving the club short on the size it wants to evaluate before the games start to count.
For a team that has spent recent seasons navigating one injury hit after another, including a record number of man-games lost last year, any new setback carries extra weight. Stewarts status is still being sorted out, and his absence for the next home preseason game against Orlando only adds to the sense that Memphis is once again trying to build continuity while the roster is already being tested. [Read more 🡒]
Zach Edey Faces The Season That Could Shape Memphis Future
Zach Edey has already shown why Memphis views him as such an important part of its long-term plan. When he has been on the court, the young big man has been highly impactful, giving the Grizzlies a glimpse of the kind of interior presence that can matter in a rebuild. The challenge, as it has been throughout his early career, is getting enough uninterrupted time to make that promise real.
Memphis is planning for Edey to be ready when the regular season begins, with his availability and production carrying real weight beyond just this years rotation. The Grizzlies also have a bigger benchmark in mind, since his path to award eligibility depends on reaching 65 games, and another injury would only make the teams future contract decisions more complicated. [Read more 🡒]
Grizzlies Get An Early Test Of The Style Theyre Trying To Build
The Grizzlies are still early in preseason, but Mondays showing offered a useful glimpse at the style they want to sharpen before games start to count. Memphis is set to host Orlando on Oct. 7 at FedExForum, and the recent tune-up against Atlanta gave the roster another chance to settle into the faster, more aggressive pace this staff is looking to build.
Ty Jerome said the group settled in after the opening minutes and began to look more like itself as the game moved along. He pointed to the need for cleaner possessions as the next step, noting there were still stretches when Memphis gave away too much with sloppy play, including a few miscues from him that the team will want to tighten up before the preseason winds down. [Read more 🡒]