The start of any NBA season - or sports season in general - is filled with optimism and uncertainty. Did that trade, or that signing, or that departure, make a difference or not? Is this FINALLY the year my team breaks through? Everyone starts at square one, with a record of 0-0, ready to embark on the journey ahead.
This year, that trek feels particularly unique in Memphis for the Grizzlies.
In Memphis, the definition of success is difficult to establish. Failure is fairly clear - anything similar to last year's 25-57 trudge of a campaign should result in the termination of numerous contracts among coaches and front office staff. But what this team must do to be seen as progressing?
That proverbial line in the sand is more difficult to draw.
A mix of age and experience
Make no mistake, this is a young Grizzlies team. Cameron Boozer, the team's Rookie of the Year front runner, turned 19 in July. The Grizzlies only have two players on the roster that were born in the 1990's - Jerami Grant and Ty Jerome. And Grant was 13 years old the year Boozer and his draft class mate, Karim Lopez, were born.
Grant is the "old head" of this Grizzlies roster at the age of 32, and is also the only Grizzlies player with double-digit years of experience in the NBA. The next closest is Ty Jerome at 7 years. Those two combined have the same amount of NBA seasons logged that Isaiah Stewart, Scotty Pippen Jr., GG Jackson, Olivier Maxence-Prosper, and Taylor Hendricks do as a group.
How will Grizzlies Head Coach Tuomas Iisalo balance the fact that he has two players in Grant and Jerome (plus Stewart, just a year behind Jerome in experience) who have played in the playoffs, that have veteran experience, with a roster that is among the youngest in the NBA? Will Jerami Grant accept a reserve role? Even better yet - how will Grizzlies General Manager balance that?
Grant is used to winning - he started for a playoff team last season. Ty Jerome has been on a playoff roster or two. Stewart was a key contributor (until he wasn't) on the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference last season. Their time and talents being NBA seasoned can prove invaluable to Memphis in a variety of ways.
Or, they can be trade bait at the NBA trade deadline. Ty Jerome in particular, with a player option for next season that he'd be wise to opt out of if he's playing well ahead of the deadline, could net a first round pick from a contender. But if that occurs, what becomes of the competitive nature of Grant and Stewart? Walking the line of players in their prime alongside those far from it is a necessary evil for any organization trying to grow.
It'll be a test for this organization to navigate, and a story to watch for, all season long.
The "biggest" question of all
Zach Edey's elite level of efficiency last season has been well documented. His injury issues, even more so. But as the season gets under way there is no player more connected to this Memphis Grizzlies team overperforming expectations than Zach Edey. From screening and finishing at the rim to rebounding and rim protection, no player (aside from eventually Cameron Boozer) will have the scheme of the Memphis Grizzlies built around him than Zach Edey.
And even then, Boozer is an offensive engine. Edey is a two-way game changer the likes of which is rare in the NBA.
But while the questions about whether or not a Boozer/Edey front court appear to be overblown (both are more versatile than they get credit for), concerns about Edey's health will stick with him until he proves he can stay on the court. How mobile will he be after the surgery last year? Can he hang with, for example, former Grizzlies player Jaren Jackson Jr. at the center? Is that a matchup issue for Edey that could result in foul trouble for the "Big Mane"?
Or, are we focusing on the wrong part of that question? Because while Edey would have to deal with Jaren (or any athletic/skilled center), the inverse is also true.
They have to deal with Zach - and his 7'4", 290 pound frame, and his length at the rim, and his strength in the paint. All spaces where Jaren (and others) would also find themselves in a struggle.
Edey is a puzzle that, if Iisalo can unlock his full impact, could be a favorite in Most Improved Player award consideration. He has that potential as a two-way force. He's not Victor Wembanyama - in lots of ways, he the antithesis of that. He's a very big traditional big, but he has the motor and stamina to play if his lower extremities do not fail him.
If Edey stays on the court? It's hard to see a world where Memphis doesn't make the play-in tournament. If he misses more than 15 or so games? Even with the improved depth at center with the previously mentioned Stewart and Quinten Post, the goal would then become avoiding the dreaded bottom 3 relegation zone in the NBA Draft Lottery.
There's a reason the Grizzlies have been so deliberate with Edey's return to play. They need him to stick around. He's that important.
The thrill of adventure
To have all these questions and lack of clarity without the weight of expectation is the gift of a rebuild. Ja Morant is no longer on the bench, leading some to believe there is a chance at a return to former glory. Ja can start on his own new path in Portland, and Memphis can look to what was true then and is still true now - they're not ready to compete at the highest level right now.
And that's ok. Because the road being traveled now by the Grizzlies is one that, in a market like Memphis, is necessary. You must build through the draft. You must make savvy trades. You must develop the talent that you have in your building and show them that the organization, and city, are worth committing to.
In an instant gratification world, that's a tough sell to a fan base. But the hope that those filing in to FedExForum or logging on to a streaming service to watch this new era begin tonight should carry with them is that change, while difficult, is a part of life that is both painful and exciting. Different doesn't mean better or worse - at least not yet.
Give these young players, these newly acquired veterans a chance to establish what THEIR Memphis Grizzlies will look like. Let their actions speak louder than my or anyone's words. To quote Walt Whitman, be curious, not judgmental, about the 2026-2027 Memphis Grizzlies. See where that takes you.
And the beginnings of the answers to our questions should remind us of how lucky we are to have the chance to feel this way in the first place. To have a season to look forward to.
And a new road to walk. Together.
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