Lawson Lovering is a big man. The Memphis Grizzlies love that about him.
The NBA is cyclical, and the pendulum appears to be swinging back toward size.
In a league long defined by copycat tendencies, strategic trends rarely remain static. When small ball lineups dominated the middle of the last decade, franchises across the league scrambled to prioritize versatility, spacing and mobility over traditional size. Stretch forwards became centers. Seven-footers were expected to guard on the perimeter. The race was on to get smaller and faster.
That phase now appears to be fading.
Across the league, contenders are quietly reasserting the value of length, strength and interior presence. The Oklahoma City Thunder, currently viewed as one of the league’s gold standards, often deploy Chet Holmgren alongside Isaiah Hartenstein, leaning into dual-size lineups rather than exclusively embracing five-out spacing. The San Antonio Spurs feature Victor Wembanyama at center, but they have shown comfort pairing him with another traditional big in Luke Kornet when matchups demand it.
The Houston Rockets have gone even further. Lineups featuring Alperen Sengun alongside either Steven Adams or Clint Capela are less about versatility and more about physical dominance. It is not simply height; it is mass, rebounding control and paint deterrence.
The underlying realization is straightforward: size remains a structural advantage in basketball. Shooting can stretch the floor, but length still shrinks it.
Now, the Memphis Grizzlies appear intent on reinforcing that same principle.
Memphis recently signed 7-footer Lawson Lovering, a move that may not register nationally but aligns clearly with the franchise’s emerging identity. Lovering has spent the season with the Memphis Hustle in the G League, averaging 8.9 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting approximately 59% from the field.
He profiles as a traditional interior big. At 7 feet tall with a reported 9-foot-1 standing reach and weighing roughly 245 pounds, Lovering fits the archetype of a rim-running, paint-finishing center. His offensive efficiency around the basket is solid. His free-throw percentage, hovering near 40%, reflects the limitations commonly associated with non-shooting bigs.
Conventional roster construction logic might suggest that such a player would struggle to coexist alongside Zach Edey, another true center with imposing size. But Memphis has already demonstrated a willingness to challenge conventional thinking.
When the Grizzlies selected Edey with the ninth overall pick, skepticism was immediate. At 7-foot-3 and 305 pounds, many evaluators questioned whether his mobility would translate to the modern NBA. The prevailing belief across segments of the league was that the game had evolved beyond players of that profile.
Memphis disagreed.
Before injury interrupted his season, Edey averaged 13.6 points and 11.1 rebounds while posting a respectable 0.8 Box Plus/Minus — a solid mark for a second-year player adjusting to professional pace. His production suggested that size, when paired with skill development and conditioning, remains not only viable but impactful.
The Lovering signing should not be overstated. It does not necessarily signal a sweeping philosophical shift, nor does it guarantee a long-term role. However, it does reinforce a pattern.
The Grizzlies are not hedging on size. They are accumulating it.
In a league that once rushed to downsize, a new recalibration is underway. Memphis appears comfortable betting that the interior, once again, matters.