A new season opens with Memphis staring at a roster that feels unlike any other in the NBA. The Grizzlies enter with a pile of uncertainty, a young core, and a hard-to-define standard for what progress even looks like.
After last year’s 25-57 slog, there’s one obvious line the team cannot cross. Everything else is murkier.
This is a young group, and that point comes into sharp focus fast. Cameron Boozer, the early Rookie of the Year front runner, turned 19 in July.
Memphis has only two players born in the 1990’s: Jerami Grant and Ty Jerome. Grant, at 32, is the roster’s “old head” and the only player on the team with double-digit NBA seasons.
Jerome is next with seven. Together, they’ve logged the same number of NBA seasons as Isaiah Stewart, Scotty Pippen Jr., GG Jackson, Olivier Maxence-Prosper, and Taylor Hendricks combined.
That creates a real balancing act for Tuomas Iisalo and the front office. Grant, Jerome and Stewart bring playoff experience and a veteran feel to a locker room built around youth.
Grant started for a playoff team last season. Jerome has been on a playoff roster or two.
Stewart played a major role on the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference last season, until he wasn’t. The challenge is figuring out how much those players matter now, and how long Memphis can keep them in place if the season turns into a development race.
There’s also the trade-deadline angle hanging over all of it. Jerome, especially, could become an attractive piece if he’s playing well before then, with a player option for next season that would make a first-round return from a contender plausible. If that happens, the questions only get louder about what it means for Grant and Stewart, and how a team trying to grow handles the tension between win-now veterans and a roster that is still years away from its ceiling.
Then there’s Zach Edey, who may end up being the most important player in the entire equation. His efficiency last season was already well documented, as were the injury problems.
But there is no player more tied to Memphis beating expectations than Edey. From screening and finishing at the rim to rebounding and rim protection, the Grizzlies are going to be built around him in a way few teams build around a traditional center.
Even with Boozer eventually in the picture as an offensive engine, Edey is the one who can alter both ends of the floor.
The questions around a Boozer-Edey front court have been overblown in some ways, because both players are more versatile than they’re often given credit for. The real concern is Edey’s health.
How will he look after last year’s surgery? Can he handle matchups with athletic centers, including former Grizzlies big Jaren Jackson Jr.?
Could foul trouble become an issue for the “Big Mane”?
The other side of that debate matters too. Jaren, or any skilled, mobile center, has to deal with Zach’s 7'4", 290 pound frame, his length at the rim and his strength in the paint. That’s a tough assignment for anybody.
If Iisalo can unlock Edey’s full value, the center could force his way into Most Improved Player conversations. Memphis doesn’t need him to be Victor Wembanyama.
In a lot of ways, he’s the opposite. But if his lower body holds up, his motor and stamina give the Grizzlies something rare: a true two-way force in the middle.
The stakes around Edey are simple. If he stays healthy, it’s hard to imagine Memphis missing the play-in tournament.
If he misses more than 15 or so games, even with added depth from Stewart and Quinten Post, the attention shifts fast to survival in the bottom 3 relegation zone in the NBA Draft Lottery. That’s why the Grizzlies have been so careful with his return.
They know how much rides on him being available.
All of this fits the shape of a rebuild, even if it doesn’t always feel comfortable. Ja Morant is no longer on the bench, which has led some to wonder whether Memphis might be close to a return to its old form.
But the present says otherwise. Ja can start his own new path in Portland, while Memphis accepts the reality in front of it: this team is not ready to compete at the top level yet.
That’s not a failure of the moment. It’s the assignment.
Build through the draft. Make smart trades.
Develop the talent already in the building. Prove that the organization and the city are worth sticking with.
That kind of patience is a tough sell in an instant-gratification world, but it’s the road Memphis has to walk.
So tonight, as the new era begins, the task isn’t to declare what this version of the Grizzlies is. It’s to watch it form.
Different doesn’t automatically mean better or worse, at least not yet. Let the young players and the newly acquired veterans show what their Memphis Grizzlies will become.
Be curious, not judgmental, about the 2026-2027 Memphis Grizzlies. And remember that having a season to look forward to is its own kind of gift.
In Other News...
Grizzlies Rookie Picture Gets More Complicated As One Fit Stands Out
As the Grizzlies get ready for their season opener, one of the quieter offseason additions has started to draw real attention: Cam Boozer. The Duke forward brings the kind of versatile skill set Memphis has been looking to layer onto its young core, and his fit alongside a front line led by Zach Edey gives the roster a different shape than it had a year ago. For a team trying to build something more durable around its rising pieces, that kind of positional flexibility matters.
The other rookie storyline is less straightforward. Richie, a drafted player still working back from an ACL injury, has not reached a contract agreement with Memphis yet, leaving his status unresolved as camp nears its final stretch. The gap between the sides has become its own small test for a franchise trying to manage development, financial caution and roster planning all at once. Even with the opener approaching, the rookie picture in Memphis still has one important piece hanging in the balance. [Read more 🡒]
Grizzlies Just Sent A Harsh Message About Walter Clayton
Walter Clayton has found a new landing spot, and it comes after a brief, uneasy stop in Memphis. The Mavericks officially signed the guard to a two-way contract, giving him a path forward after the Grizzlies waived him and other teams had reportedly been in the mix once Dallas opened a roster spot.
For Memphis, the move adds another layer to a busy stretch around Clayton, who was taken 18th overall in the 2025 NBA draft and spent time with both the Utah Jazz and Grizzlies last season. His arrival in Memphis was tied to the larger trade landscape around Jaren Jackson Jr., and now the next question is whether the Grizzlies simply moved on too quickly or if this was always headed toward a fresh start elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Mavericks Suddenly Have A Real Shot At A Guard Fans Know
Walter Clayton Jr. is back on the market after Memphis waived him ahead of the roster deadline, and that has already put a few teams on alert. The former Grizzlies guard is drawing interest around the league, with Dallas and Sacramento among the clubs keeping tabs as they look for backcourt depth and a low-risk addition.
The Mavericks are in a particularly practical position because they still have room to maneuver on a two-way deal, and Claytons next stop may come down to fit as much as opportunity. If he clears waivers, his choice could be shaped by where he sees the clearest path to minutes and development, which makes this one worth watching as the market sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]