Tuomas Iisalo says much about Karim Lopez remains to be determined after a hamstring injury limited the Grizzlies rookie during Summer League.
Karim López opens his first NBA training camp Tuesday after missing most of Summer League with a hamstring injury, and Memphis Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo said Monday much about the rookie forward is still to be determined.
The media day session at FedExForum came one day before camp. Memphis practices at Belmont University in Nashville from Tuesday through Oct. 2.
López strained his left hamstring during the pre-draft process. He sat out every game in Salt Lake City and did not make his Summer League debut until July 16 against Atlanta in Las Vegas, the Grizzlies' fourth game there.
Iisalo Says López Is Still an Unknown
Iisalo said the Grizzlies did not want to push López because they wanted him ready for camp. His limited team work since the injury has left Memphis with more to learn about where he is as a player.
"A lot of things with Karim are still TBD for the future," Iisalo said, "because he sustained that hamstring injury in the draft workouts leading to the Vegas Summer League, so he missed the Vegas camp, he missed most of Vegas, and we didn't want to push it because we wanted him to be ready for this moment. After that, there have been individual workouts and skill workouts, so it's very hard to say yet where he is as a player fully formed."
"But the same things that caught our eye during his games in the previous seasons and the draft workouts, for a 19-year-old he has a very powerful body," Iisalo continued. "He uses it well to get into the paint, so the combination of skill, power, and feel is very high level and offers a lot of high-level outcomes, also because that's a very difficult player type to find."
López Took Unusual Path to NBA
Detroit drafted López 21st overall on June 23 and traded his rights to Memphis that night. The Grizzlies traded down twice on draft night before landing him. He was the first player born and raised in Mexico to go in the first round.
He was born April 12, 2007, in Hermosillo, Sonora. At 14, he left for Spain to join Joventut Badalona. He signed with the New Zealand Breakers in 2024 and spent two seasons in Australia's National Basketball League through its Next Stars program.
Last season, López averaged 11.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 30 games for the Breakers. He added 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks in 25.6 minutes and shot 49% from the field. His 358 points were the most by a draft-eligible player in Next Stars history.
Across both NBL seasons, he averaged 10.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 58 games, with 53 starts.
He is listed at 6-foot-8 and 210 pounds.
López was the last first-round pick in the 2026 class to sign his rookie contract. The deal pays $3,746,760 this season and $18,368,804 over four years, with team options on the final two.
López Will Get Chance to Earn Role in Camp
Opportunity in camp will be the same for López as for everyone else, by Iisalo's account. The coach also emphasized how much development remains for one of the NBA's youngest players.
"He needs to make, obviously, strides like any 19-year-old," Iisalo explained. "We shouldn't forget that this is the third youngest player, I think, in the NBA in the upcoming season, and he has a lot to learn. And for that, he's really in a great place, and he will get an opportunity just like everybody to show what he has on the practice floor, and in the meantime we will look to help him to become a better basketball player."
Memphis also drafted Cameron Boozer third overall and added Richie Saunders in the second round. Boozer turned 19 on July 18 and was named to the All-Summer League First Team. The Grizzlies went 25-57 last season.
López missed the first three Las Vegas games of the run that took Memphis' Summer League roster to the Las Vegas championship game, a 94-90 loss to Golden State on July 19.
Memphis plays its first preseason game Oct. 5 in Atlanta.
