The Memphis Grizzlies are going to struggle next season.
In a Bleacher Report story called "Ranking Every NBA Starting Lineup After LeBron James Signs with Philadelphia 76ers," NBA analyst Greg Swartz ranked the Memphis Grizzlies 27th.
The Grizzlies are expected to start Ty Jerome, Jaylen Wells, Cedric Coward, Cameron Boozer and Zach Edey next season.
"The Memphis Grizzlies aren't going to win a lot of games next year, but they could lowkey be a really fun team to watch," Swartz wrote. "Boozer should be the rookie of the year favorite and is going to have a premier offensive role immediately in Memphis. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama have both been traded, meaning the former Duke star will have all the minutes he can handle at power forward.
"Jerome averaged 19.7 points, 5.7 assists, 1.1 steals and shot 42.0 percent from three in his 15 starts (in only 22.6 minutes) at point guard for the Grizzlies last year and should be the favorite to take over Ja Morant's old role."
The Grizzlies were busy this summer. They traded Ja Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, acquired Isaiah Stewart from the Detroit Pistons, signed Quinten Post and drafted Boozer and Karim López.
It will be a while before the Grizzlies make the playoffs again. However, at least they have a young building block in Boozer, who won the Player of the Year Award last season. The Duke forward averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 55.6% from the field, 39.1% from beyond the arc and 78.9% from the free-throw line.
In Summer League, Boozer played well, averaging 18.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 45.2% from the field, 33.3% from beyond the arc and 77.3% from the free-throw line. The youngster made the Summer League First Team and led Memphis to the championship game, a contest the Golden State Warriors won.
Selected third overall in the 2026 draft behind AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson, Boozer is expected to be a day-one starter for the Grizzlies alongside Coward, last season's All-Rookie First Team selection.
Boozer's combination of playmaking, physicality and positional flexibility as a 6-foot-10 forward has drawn comparisons to the multi-skilled roster construction that defined the New York Knicks' championship approach, per Tony Jones of The Athletic.
“Versatility is the name of the game. That’s what teams are looking for,” Boozer told The Athletic. “Teams want five guys who can make plays. Look at the Knicks this year. Everyone on that team was capable of doing more than one thing. Everyone was capable of playing on or off the basketball. That’s what I feel like I can do best. I can screen. I can handle it. You can put me in a lot of different scenarios.”
In the post-Morant era, the Grizzlies will be led by Boozer, Edey, Coward, Jackson and Lopez. It will be fascinating to see how Memphis performs during the 2026-27 season.
Most people believe the Grizzlies will struggle next season, but Scottie Pippen Jr. thinks the team will be fun to watch.
"I think just preparing as I always do, you know, getting ready this summer, working out every day," Pippen Jr. said, via ABS-CBN News. "Our team's going to be super, you know, exciting this year. I think a lot of people are counting us out."
