The Memphis Grizzlies are in full rebuild mode. Their young duo of the last seven years is completely gone. Ja Morant was shipped to Portland, Jaren Jackson Jr. was traded to Utah, and Memphis now has its eyes set on the draft picks they made over the last few seasons. Cameron Boozer from Duke and Cedric Coward highlight their exciting new core, but guys like Jaylen Wells and Zach Edey have shown promise as well. Memphis has just four players on its roster with over three years of NBA experience.
Having direction in the NBA is a good thing. There are some teams stuck on their sunk costs. Memphis is not one of those teams. 2027 will be a learning year for both their young players and their inexperienced coach, Tuomas Iisalo. Expectations for the Grizzlies are low, but their talent could surprise a lot of people.
Memphis Grizzlies: Over/Under 30.5 wins (-110/-115)
To win the NBA Finals: +100000
Last Season: 25-57, missed playoffs
Key Additions: Cameron Boozer, Quentin Post, Jerami Grant. Isaiah Stewart
Key Losses: Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Kyle Anderson, Santi Aldama
Mavericks fans should be very familiar with this Memphis team. They beat the Mavericks three times last season, all by double digits. Cedric Coward, Scotty Pippen Jr., Jaylen Wells, and Zach Edey all had good games against Dallas and now return a year better. Boozer looks to be one of the most ready and NBA-conditioned skill sets out of this draft and will contribute right away. They have a high-energy, young group that will get after it on defense and move the ball on offense. Jerami Grant is a seasoned veteran who has won a lot of meaningless games in his career. Isaiah Stewart will give this team a percentage of the edge that the old grit-and-grind Grizzlies used to play with. I don’t see this scrappy team as a bottom-feeder in the West. Getting to 35 wins is not out of the question.
