The Memphis Grizzlies have a crowded group of young wings, but their rebuilding timeline gives them time to see which players fit long-term.
The Memphis Grizzlies have a lot of young wings. Do they have a logjam?
It depends how you're looking at it. "Logjam" is loaded language in the NBA. A lot of fans will jump to the trade machine if you suggest that their team is overloaded at a position.
That's not what's happening here. The Grizzlies are a young, rebuilding squad. They don't need to know exactly how their rotation is going to look at this moment.
Still, it's fair to question whether all of these wings can coexist in the long term.
Grizzlies Have a Surplus of Wing Talent
Let's look at the players we're talking about.
As of this writing, the Grizzlies roster includes Cameron Boozer, Taylor Hendricks, Olivier-Maxence Prosper, GG Jackson II, Karim Lopez, Jaylen Wells, and Jerami Grant.
That's a lot of wings.
We can rule Boozer and Grant out of any thought experimentation. Boozer is the team's presumptive franchise player after Memphis used the third overall pick on him. He isn't going anywhere.
Grant is a veteran who's on the team incidentally. He was salary fodder in the Ja Morant trade.
Everyone else here is competing for a long-term rotation spot.
The most direct competitors are likely Prosper and Hendricks. They're both large three-and-D wings who can play the 3, 4, or even some small-ball 5. Prosper is the better shooter, and Hendricks is the better defender, so the question will be whether either can close the other gap.
Wells is more of a pure 3. He's also an excellent defender. Wells can space the floor, but his shooting has been mediocre throughout his NBA career. If he can improve his efficiency from beyond the arc, he can lock down the starting small forward position moving forward.
Although Lopez would like a word.
As a strong connective passer and more functional ball-handler, he's a more well-rounded player than Wells in theory. We'll see how his rookie season goes and whether Lopez can shoot or defend at Wells' level.
Finally, we land on Jackson II. Other than Boozer, he's perhaps the most purely gifted scorer in this group. Still, inconsistent effort and three-point efficiency have limited his NBA trajectory.
So how can the Grizzlies choose from such a diverse talent pool?
Grizzlies Can Let It Play Out
For now, they don't have to do anything.
There is no rush here. The Grizzlies can miss the postseason this year, and nobody will bat an eye. Memphis went 25-57 last season, and the roster has continued to move toward a younger core.
That gives the Grizzlies time to figure out which players fit together rather than making a decision simply because there are too many wings on paper.
Prosper and Hendricks can compete for minutes. Wells can try to establish himself as the long-term starter at the 3. Lopez gets a chance to show how quickly his game translates to the NBA. Jackson II still has time to prove that his scoring talent can become more consistent.
There's also nothing wrong with having too many useful young players. If several of them develop, Memphis will have options.
Eventually, though, decisions will have to be made. The Grizzlies will need to choose a starting 3 and probably determine which two or three of these players make the most sense as long-term rotation pieces around Boozer and the rest of the core.
Memphis has already remained active on the trade market, so it's possible the group looks different before those decisions become necessary.
For now, the Grizzlies can let it play out.
If too many of these wings prove they deserve significant minutes, that's when the logjam could actually become a problem.
