The Portland Trail Blazers are about to put their spotless start back on the line, this time against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Moda Center.
And if you want a read on where Memphis stands entering the matchup, the early answer is pretty clear: the Grizzlies have found a formula that’s working, but they’re also walking into a game with some real obstacles.
Ty Jerome has been the loudest early spark for Memphis, and that hot start has helped drive the Grizzlies to 4-0. But the bigger story, according to Memphis Grizzlies On SI contributor Landon Speck, is the way the whole rotation has come together.
He pointed to the group effort as the real “secret,” noting that through four games, none of the rotation players has had a truly bad outing. Cam Boozer has had trouble with efficiency, but Speck said he has still been very impactful.
Jaylen Wells and Cedric Coward have been “absolute nails” to start the year, while Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cam Spencer have supplied quality minutes. With everyone healthy so far, Tuomas Iisalo has been able to open up his vision of an NBA offense, and early on, it has paid off.
Jerome’s production, Speck said, is not built on smoke and mirrors. He may not keep scoring 30 a night, but the efficiency is real and should hold up.
Since his time with the Golden State Warriors and, more notably, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Jerome has been close to a 50/40/90 player. The per-100 numbers have always popped; the difference now is that he’s getting starter minutes instead of coming off the bench or dealing with injuries.
The bigger question, Speck said, is health. If Jerome stays on the floor, he sees him settling in around 22-24 PPG on something like 47/40/88 shooting splits.
Then there’s Zach Edey, who Speck described as a player whose value goes way beyond the box score. Last season, Memphis was +26.7 points per 100 possessions with Edey on the court, though he only appeared in 11 games.
This season, through a three-game sample, the Grizzlies are sitting at a +26.1 NET rating with him. The numbers are small, but the effect is obvious: Edey is taking away scoring at the rim even without racking up blocks, and he’s turned Memphis into an elite rebounding team.
Portland, though, has answers of its own. The Blazers may be dealing with a Ja Morant and Damian Lillard backcourt that isn’t exactly built around defense, but they still have pieces that can make Memphis uncomfortable.
Donovan Clingan gives them as strong an Edey matchup as there is, while Toumani Camara and Jrue Holiday are ideal bodies to throw at Jerome. And then there’s Deni Avdija, whom Speck called simply the best player between the two teams.
In his view, Portland is also the more talented roster overall.
That talent edge matters, especially when paired with what Portland can bring on both ends. Between the defensive ceiling and the scoring punch from Lillard, Morant and Avdija, Speck sees real reasons to like the Blazers. Memphis is also in the fourth game of a West Coast road trip, which only adds to the challenge.
Speck did note that two straight off days should help Memphis recover some of the wear and tear, but he still doesn’t think it will be enough. Add in Portland’s matchup advantages, plus the extra edge from Morant playing his first game against the Grizzlies, and his pick is clear: the Trail Blazers get the win.
In Other News...
Kings Desperately Need A Break As Injury Questions Loom In Memphis
The Kings head into Saturdays matchup in Memphis still searching for their first win, and the road trip is not getting any easier. Sacramento is already 0-5 and will be down four key players again, including Keegan Murray and Ben Simmons, when it meets the undefeated Grizzlies in a late-afternoon tip at 5:00 p.m. PT.
Memphis, meanwhile, has its own injury uncertainty to monitor. The Grizzlies listed Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr. as questionable, leaving a little bit of suspense around a game that already carries a lopsided feel on paper. For Sacramento, the challenge is obvious: survive the trip, stay competitive and hope the availability picture shifts before the ball goes up. [Read more 🡒]
Grizzlies Face A Bigger Concern Than Sacramento Before Key Test
The Grizzlies are heading into their next meeting with Sacramento with more than the opponent to monitor. Ty Jerome, Scotty Pippen Jr. and Quinten Post are all on the injury report, leaving Memphis with real uncertainty in the backcourt and up front as game time approaches. Jerome is dealing with upper back soreness, Pippen with lower back soreness and Post with a right ankle sprain, and all three will be evaluated closer to tipoff.
For a Memphis team trying to keep its footing in a key test, the timing matters as much as the names. Jerome has been the clubs most productive scorer and was central in the earlier win over the Kings, so his status in particular looms large, but the Grizzlies may not know their full rotation until the final availability report comes in. [Read more 🡒]
Grizzlies Fans Just Got More Reason To Watch Trey Murphy III
Trey Murphy III keeps showing up in the conversation around Memphis, even if only in the loose, speculative way that tends to follow a player with a rising profile. The Pelicans wing has been the subject of trade chatter, and his early-season scoring has dipped from last year, which has only added fuel to the idea that rival teams might keep monitoring his situation.
For Grizzlies fans, the intrigue got a little more personal when Ty Jerome chimed in on social media and jokingly floated the idea of Murphy ending up in Memphis. It was the kind of throwaway remark that does not change anything on its own, but it did underline how much attention Murphy is drawing, even as New Orleans still appears to value him as a key part of its future. [Read more 🡒]