30 teams, 30 days: Memphis Grizzlies | 2026 Season Preview

Welcome to my 30 teams in 30 days series, the most comprehensive and informative previews for every team in the NBA. Inside these posts, you’ll get up to speed with every team’s offseason additions and their roster hierarchies, learn whether they’ve addressed their biggest areas of need, ponder over 5 questions that will define their season and then decide whether you agree with my offseason grades and record predictions.

Notable Additions: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Ty Jerome, Cedric Coward, Jock Landle, Javon Small, Jahmai Mashack

Notable Subtractions: Desmond Bane, Jay Huff, Luke Kennard, Marvin Bagley III, Lamar Stevens

Depth Chart:

PG: Ja Morant / Scottie Pippen Jr. / Javon Small

SG: Jaylen Wells / Ty Jerome / Vince Williams Jr / John Konchar / Cam Spencer

SF: Santi Aldama / Kentavious Caldwell-Pope / Cedric Coward / Olivier Maxence-Prosper

PF: Jaren Jackson Jr / Brandon Clarke / GG Jackson II

C: Zach Edey / Jock Landale / PJ Hall

Roster Hierarchy:

Franchise: Ja Morant

Core: Jaren Jackson Jr, Zach Edey

Key Rotation: Jaylen Wells, Ty Jerome, Brandon Clarke, Santi Aldama, Scottie Pippen Jr, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Rotation: Jock Landale, GG Jackson II, Vince Williams Jr, PJ Hall, John Konchar, Cam Spencer

Development: Javon Small, Cedric Coward, Olivier Maxence-Prosper

Offseason Overview:

2 years ago, the Grizzlies were widely considered one of the best young cores in basketball. MEM entered the 2023 offseason with back to back 50-win seasons, facing an impending financial crunch at the exact time the NBA and NBPA finalized the new collective bargaining agreement, which placed stringent restrictions on teams that dared to venture beyond the tax. Memphis had no intentions on coming anywhere close to the 2nd apron, trading Dillon Brooks to Houston with Ja’s extension and Bane’s expected new deal looming, echoing their previous tax motivated decisions to move on from De’Anthony Melton and Kyle Anderson.

The Grizz’s inability to upgrade that position, combined with some major injuries and untimely suspensions, allowed for the other young teams in the West — OKC, MIN and HOU — to decisively surpass Memphis, racking up Conference Finals appearances (and a chip) plus some marquee free agents and trade acquisitions. MEM now finds themselves on the outside looking in, hoping their additional flexibility from trading Bane and a new system installed by the brilliant Toumas Iisalo can push this team back into the realm of contention.

Pre-Draft Areas of Need:

🥇 Pull-Up 3P Shooting: (28th in self-created 3PA/g) 6.3

🥈 P&R Creation: 13.7 PNR Frequency (30th), 0.82 PNR BH PPP (26th), 1.13 roll man ppp (10th)

🥉 Disruption: 18th in Deflection Rate (15.5%), 14th in Steals Transition Frequency (67.5%)

The democratization of the offense deprioritized 2 of Memphis’ core players greatest strengths ,which should ramp up a bit under Iisalo. Memphis’ emphasis on speed pushed them to 1st in pace and 2nd in Transition Frequency BUT there’s room to increase this edge even further by being more active in the passing lanes.

Season Outlook:

1. Which Grizzly could develop with the additional on-ball reps available due to injuries?

With Ja Morant out for most of 2024, Jaren Jackson Jr. saw his self-creation load double—his creation true shot attempts1 jumped from 5.9 to 10.5 per game—which made him a better offensive player. The additional responsibility led to a less efficient year overall, but his time as a first and second option led to his efficiency rebounding in 2025 in a better context. Memphis may have a similar situation to begin the season, as Edey, JJJ & Morant are all slated to miss time.

Ty Jerome exhibited some untapped creation potential in his time in Cleveland, indicators that could carry over if Ja misses significant time. With Donovan Mitchell off the floor, Jerome’s production spiked from 17.3 to 27.0 points per 75 possessions, with his assists nudging a bit from 5.9 to 6.3 and true shooting leaping from 58.9% to 67.5%. Jerome has displayed creation ability for years in limited minutes, averaging a respectable 9.2 creation true shot attempts on an excellent 5.6 rTS% over his last 3 years, but this is his first chance to prove he can sustain that efficiency with a larger role. I’m expecting him to do just that, as long as Memphis empowers him on & off the ball, allowing him to attack titled defenses.

If Brandon Clarke and Jaren miss time to start the year, Santi Aldama needs to seize the opportunity to assert himself as a long-term frontcourt piece. In many ways, Aldama is already an ideal low-usage big-wing with his grab & go, pick & pop and passing skillset, but extended minutes at the 4/5 could force him to refine his big man skills. He’s seen very little volume or effectiveness as a roller thus far, but if he’s able to embrace contract and function a bit more reliably as a screener, Aldama will be an infinitely more dangerous offensive weapon.

2. How will Iisalo re-integrate pick & roll into MEM’s offense?

Memphis ran pick-and-roll at the lowest frequency in the league last year (13.7%), a stark contrast to Morant’s two healthy seasons prior when he ranked in the 100th percentile for PNR volume. In those higher-volume years, the Grizzlies ranked just 23rd and 25th in points per possession on PNR play types, an inefficiency largely driven by Ja’s streaky pull-up three and the frontcourt’s mixed screening/rolling profile (Jaren and Aldama aren’t elite rollers, and Steven Adams’ absences erased Ja’s best screener and finisher).

Zach Edey is the best screening prospect in modern history, a hyper-efficient play finisher (74.5% at the rim) who ranked 8th in Roll Man Points Over Expectation as a rookie. Edey gives Iisalo the perfect release valve against aggressive coverages on Ja, while Memphis’ stretch bigs pull help out of the lane. Iisalo can use Jaren or Santi as the back screener in Spain PNR alignments or the “pop-big” in double-drag sets to force defenses to respect their ability to space the floor, while Edey sets the initial screen and draws the defense to the middle of the floor.

57 total roll man poss is criminal

3. Could the Grizzlies make a move to pickup frontcourt reinforcement at the deadline?

Without Edey, who will miss time to begin the season as he recovers from ankle surgery, the center rotation is extremely shallow outside of Jaren. Jock Landale has yet to post a season finishing above league-average efficiency as a roll threat, and PJ Hall is virtually unproven. Given how guard-heavy Memphis is, a consolidation move could make sense, potentially packaging Scotty Pippen Jr., Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and/or John Konchar—plus draft capital— to target a reliable big. Teams like Chicago or Brooklyn may be able to be persuaded to part with guys such as Zach Collins or Day’ron Sharpe, potential playoff-viable 5’s who can screen, protect the rim and exhibit the playmaking traits Toumas values in big men.

4. What steps do Vince/GG/Coward/OMax need to take to assert themselves as the de-facto wing next to Wells?

It’s unusual for a second-rounder to lock down a starting role as a rookie, but Wells’ defensive range and off-ball skills cemented him in the rotation early last season. The open question is which of the players in MEM’s wing room best complements Wells and the rest of the starting lineup.

Vince endured a nightmare shooting year, but his collegiate indicators suggest regression towards his larger sample norms (nearly 80% FT and 37% on 300+ NCAA threes). He has to bounce back to the 38.7% C&S 3P% and 3.2 STOP%2 (90th%) he achieved in 2024, as his +8 wingspan is far too big of a tool to generate a stop on just 1.9% of possessions (24th%).

GG Jackson has struggled to find his footing in MEM’s motion offense, shooting just 47.5% on twos with far too many live-ball turnovers relative to his 24th% playmaking volume (4.5 Potential Assists per 100 possessions). He needs to clean up his shot diet and make quicker decisions than he has the last 2 seasons, which may take too much developmental time for a Grizzlies team that needs reliable wing contributors rather quickly.

The questions surrounding Vince and GG leave an open window for Cedric Coward and Olivier-Maxence Prosper, as they both grasp the key principles of playing in a team context. Prosper is the better athlete and driver, Coward has the superior defensive playmaking indicators and shooting pedigree; the one who can attack closeouts, reliably shoot spot-up 3s and bring consistent point-of-attack defense will claim the vacant role next to Wells.

5. Will the Grizzlies play through their bigs again?

Per @GrizzliesFilm, Memphis went from running offense through their bigs (Delay/Pinch actions) three to four times a game in 2023 and 2024, to completely removing those sets in 2025. Adams’ injury and subsequent trade left Memphis with a huge playmaking void in their frontcourt, which caused their hub actions to be some of their LEAST efficient sets in 2024.

Tuomas Iisalo heavily values playmaking in his bigs, with hour-long videos on Youtube detailing his ideal principles and traits from the 5, so it’s highly likely MEM reintroduces their plays that flowed through their bigs at the top of the key and the elbows. The Grizz are already deploying Hall and Landale above the break for handoffs, actions that become far more effective with the ball in Edey and Jaren’s hands.

These DHO actions are naturally synergistic with Ja’s suddenness and burst and Jerome’s in-between scoring ability, which should allow Iisalo to construct an offensethat can effortlessly switch between spread PNR and Delay/Pinch actions within any given possession.

Record Prediction

Total Wins Over/Under: 40.5 via BetMGM

Floor: 39–43 (-9 wins)

The injury bug has already reared it’s head once more in Memphis, threatening to limit Edey, Jaren and Ja from playing the first week(s) of the season. As detailed above, this frontcourt situation is dire — especially on defense without JJ and Edey — and any additional absences without a consolidation move to bring in frontcourt reinforcements could seriously dampen this team’s ability to be competitive.

Ceiling: 51–21 (+3 wins)

I’m fully bought in Toumas Iisalo. His emphasis on playing fast and running offense through his bigs are philosophies I believe are essential to succeeding into today’s NBA. MEM could run into some offensive issues without Bane’s pull-up shooting and they really need 1 of their 4 wing-bets to pop to reach their ceiling , but the prevailing principles from the wheel offense and a more featured Edey/Jaren/Ja should give them more than enough on O.

Let me know if you agree with my predictions! What are your expectations for the Grizzlies this season?

Overall Grade: B

Up Next: Boston Celtics