The Memphis Grizzlies are one win away from playing for a Summer League title, and the stakes are bigger than the trophy itself.
Memphis meets the Houston Rockets in the 2026 NBA Summer League semifinals on Saturday after rolling to a 3-1 record in Las Vegas. The Grizzlies have won two straight games by blowout, taking down the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks to get here.
If they keep it going, it would send them to the championship game for the second time in the last three years. Memphis fell to the Miami Heat in overtime in the 2024 title game.
The last time the Grizzlies actually won the Summer League crown was in 2019, when Brandon Clarke powered the run and earned MVP honors. Ja Morant, whom Memphis picked No. 2 overall that summer, did not play because of a knee injury.
That 2019 run didn’t stay in the Summer League bubble for long. Memphis used it as a springboard to a much better regular season, going from 33-49 in 2018-19 to 34-39 in 2019-20 and reaching the Western Conference Play-In Tournament. Clarke carried that momentum into the next level too, finishing with first-team All-Rookie honors.
That’s the real reason these games matter for Memphis. Summer League is about development first, and the Grizzlies have leaned into that by putting players like Desmond Bane and now Cedric Coward in more on-ball situations to expand their games.
Bane’s Summer League role in 2021 was built around point guard reps, with Memphis trying to sharpen his ball-handling and playmaking. The payoff showed up quickly. In 2021-22, his scoring jumped from 9.2 points per game to 18.2, and his shot attempts climbed from 7.3 per game to 14.5.
The hope is that Coward can follow a similar path. Memphis has made it a point this summer to let him handle the ball more and take more shots than he did as a rookie.
Coward has already delivered some of that promise in Las Vegas. He scored 23 points against Atlanta, including 10 in the third quarter, and went 7-for-12 from the field as Memphis clinched its spot in the semifinals.
A championship would also mean something for the other young players getting bigger jobs right now: Olivier-Maxence Prosper, Taylor Hendricks and Javon Small. If they can help Memphis win while operating in featured roles, that experience could matter later.
The same goes for Cameron Boozer. A title would be another sign that he fits with the group, and it would reinforce the idea that his winning background translates. For the Grizzlies, getting a first look at Boozer in a championship setting would only make the pick look better.
Charlotte offered a recent reminder of how much Summer League success can carry over. The Hornets won the 2025 title, then turned that into a 44-38 season in 2025-26 after not reaching 30 wins in any of the previous three years. Kon Knueppel, who was named MVP of the 2025 Summer League championship game, became a key part of that turnaround.
So no, a Summer League championship doesn’t decide anything by itself. But for Memphis, it would still matter. It would give the young core a confidence jolt and add another layer to the culture the Grizzlies are trying to build as they reshape the roster.
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How Low Is Too Low For This Grizzlies Reset
Memphis has already made the kind of reset that usually defines an era, moving on from Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane and shifting the spotlight to a younger group headlined by Cedric Coward, Zach Edey, Jaylen Wells and newly acquired Cameron Boozer. For a franchise that spent years trying to thread the needle between development and contention, the new direction is a clear break from the past and a bet that a fresh core can grow together with more stability than the roster had last season.
The bigger question now is how far that reset can go in the standings without turning into a complete teardown. Memphis is not being framed as a playoff threat, but there is a real case for the Grizzlies to clear the 23.5-win line and land closer to 27.5 if health and continuity finally work in their favor. For a team trying to measure the floor of a rebuild, even that modest climb would matter. [Read more 🡒]
Grizzlies Fans Just Watched Another Rookie Steal The Summer League Spotlight
The 2026 Las Vegas Summer League wrapped up July 19, and for Memphis, the final night only reinforced how quickly the rookie class can reshape the conversation around a team. The event was built around recent draft picks and undrafted free agents trying to carve out a role, and the Grizzlies got a front-row seat to that energy all month long as different prospects took turns flashing the kind of talent that can turn a summer showcase into something more meaningful.
Memphis also saw one of the more memorable title-game performances from the other sideline, the kind that tends to linger after the confetti is cleared away. Beyond the championship result, the broader takeaway for the Grizzlies is familiar: Summer League is rarely about one game, but it can still leave a lasting impression when a rookie keeps rising in the biggest moments. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Young Core Just Sent A Message With Summer League Title
The Grizzlies came up short in the Las Vegas Summer League championship, falling 94-90 to Golden State in a game that had plenty of momentum swings. Memphis got strong production from Cameron Boozer, who led the way with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and the Grizzlies were in position to control the night before the Warriors found another gear.
Golden States young core finished the job behind Jonathan Kuminga, who earned Championship Game MVP honors after putting up 21 points and 10 rebounds. For Memphis, the result was a tough finish to a run that had them right there in the title game, with the final minutes turning on a couple of possessions that left the Grizzlies chasing the result instead of celebrating it. [Read more 🡒]