The Memphis Grizzlies are the NBA’s last unbeaten team, and the early read on them goes beyond the clean record.
Yes, the schedule has helped. Memphis has had a favorable opening stretch, and that will continue for about the next two weeks.
Four of their six wins have come against the Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz. But even with that context, the numbers say the Grizzlies have been more than just a product of a soft slate.
They’re sitting in the top 12 in both adjusted offensive rating and defensive rating, according to Dunks and Threes’ schedule-adjusted metric, and they’re 11th in NET.
The bigger takeaway is how the team has looked while stacking wins. Memphis has been effective on both ends, and the style it’s playing matches what Tuomas Iisalo wanted to build.
The players who needed to either meet expectations or take a step forward have done exactly that. As Landon Speck put it, “Memphis' strong start on the surface might not mean much to some, because of the weak schedule.
Four of the six wins have come against the Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz.However, the process behind the undefeated start shows more than the record without context. Memphis has been strong on both ends of the floor, ranking near the top of the league in several categories offensively and defensively.The Grizzlies have also played the style of basketball Tuomas Iisalo envisioned, and all the players who needed to either play to their potential or take a step forward have done so.
The case to be made for Memphis being better than expected before the season has come true in almost every way. While it is early, it feels like that can stick.
However, with the light schedule early, it is still too soon to say just how good the Grizzlies will be. While the start is encouraging, there is not enough evidence yet to make me think Memphis will finish higher than the 8 seed."
That’s a sharp contrast from where this franchise was a year ago. At this point last season, Ja Morant was telling reporters to “go ask the coaching staff” about his underwhelming performances, and Iisalo later challenged Morant’s leadership publicly. The tension was obvious, and the relationship looked shaky.
Since then, the roster has been turned over. The Grizzlies were months removed from trading Desmond Bane for four first-round picks, and later moved Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant as well, breaking up the core that reached the Western Conference Semifinals in 2021-22.
What’s left is a new group that already looks more cohesive than Memphis has at any point over the last three seasons. Former Duke phenom Cam Boozer has opened his rookie year with a historic start, and his pairing with center Zach Edey has been especially encouraging.
The two are a plus-46 in just 77 minutes together, which works out to a 30.1 NET Rating. If they stay healthy, their fit is easy to see: complementary offense, physicality, rebounding, rim protection and defensive playmaking.
Ty Jerome, Cedric Coward, Cam Spencer, GG Jackson and Jaylen Wells have also started strong. The schedule has helped, but the new-look Grizzlies appear rebuilt and, just as importantly, in sync. And even after all the changes, Memphis still has eight first-round picks over the next four draft cycles, including three in 2027.
In Other News...
Cam Boozer Is Giving The Grizzlies A Rookie Of The Year Buzz
Cam Boozer has wasted no time making the Grizzlies early-season start feel even more promising. The rookie has already checked off a string of eye-catching milestones, including a triple-double that made him the second-youngest player ever to do it, and he has quickly become one of the biggest reasons Memphis is unbeaten to open the year.
The production has been just as loud as the buzz around it, with Boozer giving the Grizzlies a steady two-way presence and a playmaking element that is not usually expected this soon from a first-year player. With a relatively favorable stretch coming up, Memphis has a chance to keep building momentum while the Rookie of the Year conversation starts to take shape around one of its newest faces. [Read more 🡒]
Grizzlies Unbeaten Start Faces A New Concern Before Pelicans Game
Memphis has opened the season unbeaten, but the first real pregame concern on the injury front is starting to take shape ahead of its meeting with New Orleans. The Pelicans are dealing with a mixed report of their own, with Trey Murphy III listed as probable even as he works through bilateral patella tendinopathy, while Yves Missi and Jordan Poole have already been ruled out.
For the Grizzlies, the attention turns to their own availability list, where Scotty Pippen Jr. is doubtful and Quinten Post is questionable. It is the sort of early-season wrinkle that can matter even in a game that already carries plenty of weight, especially for a Memphis team trying to keep its strong start intact while managing bodies before the matchup tips. [Read more 🡒]
Grizzlies Are Finally Seeing Why Tuomas Iisalo Trusted His System
Tuomas Iisalos first full season guiding the Grizzlies drew plenty of skepticism, mostly because of the way he handled his rotation. The short, high-intensity stints were easy to question when Memphis was trying to find its footing, but the roster looks different now with more key players healthy and the offense starting to reflect the structure Iisalo has been building all along.
The payoff has shown up in the way the ball moves and in the expanded responsibilities for players who are being asked to do more than before, including Isaiah Stewart and Cam Spencer. For a team that spent much of last season getting judged through the lens of its coachs methods, this early stretch is at least offering a clearer picture of why Iisalo stayed committed to his system. [Read more 🡒]