The Memphis Grizzlies are about to start answering a lot of questions.
Training camp opens at Belmont University in Nashville from Sept. 29 through Oct. 2, and it arrives after a major roster shakeup that has left the team looking very different from the one fans watched before. Over the past calendar year, Ja Morant, Santi Aldama, Jaren Jackson Jr. and John Konchar are among the players who have moved on, and Memphis now enters camp with a new blend of young talent and players who fit the organization’s tough, physical, defensive-minded identity.
That reset puts a few issues right at the center of camp. The biggest may be what the Grizzlies can get from Zach Edey.
Edey is one of the most important players on the roster, but his availability is a real concern after he played only 11 games last season because of multiple ankle procedures. When he was on the floor, Memphis ranked among the NBA’s best rebounding and rim-protecting teams. Once he was out, those strengths faded fast.
Coach Tuomas Iisalo brought up Edey several times last season while talking about the team’s problems, a clear sign that the center’s absence was a major reason Memphis never fully reached what it could have been. Now, after two surgeries, the question is simple: what version of Edey shows up next?
Will he be the same player? Could he potentially be better?
Or will he be limited during training camp and perhaps even early in the regular season? Those are the kinds of answers Memphis will be looking for immediately.
The other big camp storyline is Cam Boozer, who is expected to get the keys to the franchise as a 19-year-old rookie. Boozer’s scoring gets attention, but his playmaking, rebounding and defensive instincts are just as striking.
He has already started working out with some teammates and has earned strong reviews. Still, there’s a difference between offseason workouts and a controlled team setting, and camp will show how quickly he can absorb what Memphis is teaching.
Boozer’s biggest strength may be his mind. He processes the game quickly, but expecting an NBA rookie to immediately translate that into a major impact is a lot to ask. Camp should give the Grizzlies a clearer read on how he handles information, how he adjusts to the NBA game and how he develops through the process.
Then there’s Iisalo himself, who finally has much of the roster profile he has been waiting for.
If he wants good screeners, Memphis has Edey and Isaiah Stewart. If he wants more shooting, the Grizzlies added Boozer and Jerami Grant while also banking on internal growth from Scotty Pippen Jr., Jaylen Wells, Ty Jerome and Cedric Coward.
That gives Iisalo a real chance to lean into his principles and shape the team the way he wants. With a healthier roster, he can push harder toward the identity he’s trying to build in Memphis.
Training camp should offer the first real look at what that looks like.
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Grants arrival added another layer to the competition, and Lopez comes in as part of the 2025 draft class, giving the Grizzlies more talent to sort through as they shape the rotation. The challenge now is less about finding options than deciding how many of those options can actually be on the floor together, which makes this one of the more consequential position battles on the roster. [Read more 🡒]