Injuries tested the Grizzlies, but Cam Spencer seized his chance, fueling a surge with sharp shooting and clutch play, redefining their offense.
The Memphis Grizzlies spent the early part of the season searching for answers. Now, as they prepare to host the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, they are riding a 6-2 stretch sparked by the unexpected rise of second-year guard Cam Spencer.
Spencer has emerged as a stabilizing force in a rotation thinned by injuries to Ja Morant, Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr. With all three sidelined, the Grizzlies have reshaped their guard play on the fly, elevating Spencer into a larger role off the bench. Over his past seven games, he is averaging 15.7 points while shooting 18-for-29 from beyond the arc.
The impact has been felt across the standings. Memphis opened the year with 11 losses in its first 15 games. With Spencer supplying efficient scoring and steady creation, the Grizzlies have steadied themselves.
On Friday, Spencer delivered another timely performance in a 107-98 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. He finished with 17 points and seven assists, including a step-back three with 4:37 remaining that put Memphis ahead 98-96. The Grizzlies never trailed again.
The sequence that symbolized his rise came moments earlier, when he grabbed an offensive rebound, backed out to the wing and fired a quick 3-pointer over a sagging defender. When the Clippers followed with a shot-clock violation, Spencer waved his arms to pump up the FedExForum crowd as Memphis closed out the victory.
Spencer said the momentum reflects how much more comfortable he feels in extended minutes.
“Maybe the game slowed down just a little bit, but I think just more minutes and more opportunity, and the better you get,” Spencer said. “I feel like I learn from experience the most.”
Memphis moved Vince Williams Jr. into the starting point guard role to compensate for injuries, and he has responded with two 15-assist games — a mark reached this season only by Williams and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. But it is Spencer’s scoring punch and versatility that have reshaped the Grizzlies’ rotation.
Head coach Tuomas Iisalo said he saw signs in the offseason that Spencer was ready to take advantage of an opportunity.
In explaining that rise, Iisalo noted how far Spencer has come since a quiet rookie year.
“There’s a guy who played — I don’t remember how many games he was even suited up last year or got to play, and now he’s causing trouble on the scouting report of every opposite team because of his ability not only anymore to make shots off the catch, but also to create for himself and for others through the ball screen,” Iisalo said.
He added that Spencer’s growth extends beyond shotmaking.
“He’s got great chemistry with Jock (Landale) and (can) handle both backcourt spots, which in his second year as a professional and in the NBA, that’s very impressive,” Iisalo said.
The coach pointed to the offseason as the foundation of Spencer’s jump.
“He’s one of those guys that right away in the end of May wanted to come in and start doing some voluntary workouts and start learning new things, and he’s reaping the benefits right now of that,” Iisalo said. “And then, when there were some unfortunate events with the injuries, he’s gotten his moment. And preparation meets opportunity, good things happen.”
Memphis may soon receive a boost as Morant nears a return from his calf injury. Until then, Spencer remains essential to keeping the offense afloat and the season moving forward.
Spencer said the recent turnaround has reflected a group responding to early struggles.
“We hit some adversity at the beginning of the year, but we’ve bounced back pretty well,” he said.
The Trail Blazers arrive Sunday having lost four of their past five games, including a late collapse in Friday’s 122-116 defeat at Detroit. Interim coach Tiago Splitter said he has been encouraged by the effort amid several injuries, including to guards Scoot Henderson and Jrue Holiday.
“We have a lot of guys playing out of their (natural) positions,” Splitter said. “We tried to junk it up with a lot of defenses. I thought we fought hard but we didn’t have enough to finish.”
Memphis, meanwhile, is beginning to settle into a rhythm that seemed unlikely a month ago. And as long as the rotation remains thin, Spencer’s rise will remain one of the season’s most important developments.