The Memphis Grizzlies come in at No. 27.
The Memphis Grizzlies are expected to start Ty Jerome, Cedric Coward, Jerami Grant, Cameron Boozer and Zach Edey this season.
NBA analyst Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report believes the Grizzlies have the fourth-worst starting lineup in the league.
The Grizzlies went 25-57 last season. They traded Ja Morant to the Portland Trail Blazers this offseason and drafted their new franchise player, Boozer.
Boozer was the first underclassman to average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in a season since Larry Bird in 1976-77.
Boozer won the Player of the Year award last season in college. 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 next season alongside Cedric 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' 2025-26 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.”
The Grizzlies may be fun to watch this season, but they will likely be a lottery team.
However, in the long run, that's good so that the front office can acquire more talent around Boozer in future drafts.
How talented is Boozer? He made ESPN's top 100 NBA players list as a rookie.
Boozer is ranked No. 85. He's one spot ahead of Chicago Bulls guard Norman Powell and one spot behind Alex Caruso of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Boozer makes his preseason NBA debut on October 5 against the Atlanta Hawks and his regular season debut on October 21 against the Utah Jazz.
