Cameron Boozer is already finding lessons in an unexpected place as he gets ready for his first season with the Memphis Grizzlies: the golf course.
Boozer took part in ‘The Precision Match’ this week at TPC Southwind, and he said the mental side of golf connects directly to what he expects in basketball. “Not every shot is going to be perfect, and when you get frustrated in golf, it just spirals,” Boozer said.
“I think it’s something similar in basketball. Like we were talking about when that bug was flying everywhere.
Just staying composed and getting on to the next play.”
That mindset will matter for a Grizzlies team in the middle of a full reset. Memphis traded Ja Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers, and later in the season sent Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Utah Jazz at the deadline, officially pushing the rebuild into a new phase. With those moves, Boozer suddenly looks like one of the key pieces of what comes next.
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft is expected to step right into the starting lineup at power forward, where he’ll pair with center Zach Edey to form a massive frontcourt. For Memphis, that gives the roster a very different shape as the franchise turns the page.
Fans already got a glimpse of Boozer during NBA Summer League in Utah and Las Vegas, where he helped carry the Grizzlies all the way to the championship game. In eight total games, he averaged 18.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 49 percent from the field, 40.6 percent from 3-point range and 76 percent from the free-throw line.
In Other News...
The Trade That Changed Grizzlies History Forever
The Grizzlies 2008 trade of Pau Gasol to the Lakers still stands as one of the most consequential moves in franchise history, not just because it sent away a star, but because it altered the direction of Memphis basketball for years to come. In return, the team brought back a package of players, draft picks and the draft rights to Marc Gasol, a little-known piece of the deal at the time that would end up mattering far more than anyone could have expected.
Most of the other pieces Memphis received did not leave a lasting imprint, but Marc Gasol grew into a cornerstone for the franchise and eventually one of its defining leaders. Pau Gasol, meanwhile, went on to play a major role in the Lakers championship runs, giving the trade a rare kind of symmetry: a deal that shaped both sides, even if its long-term value in Memphis came from the player nobody was talking about first. [Read more 🡒]
Grizzlies Schedule Includes 3 Games Fans Will Take Personally
The NBAs latest schedule drop gave Memphis fans a few dates to circle, and not just because the Grizzlies will be in the national spotlight. Opening Week, Christmas Day and the NBA Cup all delivered matchups with extra edge, from a meeting with Washington that could feature top 2026 NBA Draft names AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer to a familiar face on the opposing sideline. For a team that has spent the past few years building around a hard-nosed identity and a loud home floor, these are the kind of games that tend to carry a little more noise than usual.
One of the biggest draws on the slate is a home game that brings back a franchise centerpiece in a new uniform, the sort of night that instantly changes the mood inside the building. Another date sends former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins back to Memphis as the opponent, adding another layer to a schedule already loaded with intrigue. The league may have just been releasing calendars, but for Memphis, it also handed fans a few reminders that not every marquee matchup comes with a conference rival attached. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylen Wells Just Fueled Grizzlies Hype Around Cam Boozer
Jaylen Wells has already seen enough to buy into the buzz around Cam Boozer. After the 2024 NBA Draft and Summer League, the All-Rookie First-Team guard said he believes Boozer has the kind of talent that can put him in the Rookie of the Year conversation and, eventually, make him a star in Memphis. It is the sort of praise that tends to land differently when it comes from a young player who is part of the same emerging core.
For the Grizzlies, the excitement around Boozer fits a bigger picture that is still taking shape. Memphis has been trying to build around its next wave, and Boozers combination of skill and upside has only added to the optimism surrounding the rebuild. Wells comments do not change the fact that so much of this remains projection, but they do show how quickly confidence can grow when a promising young player starts looking like more than just a draft-night idea. [Read more 🡒]