Grizzlies Got the ‘Surest Bet’ of This NBA Rookie Class in Cameron Boozer, Anonymous Scout Says

Editor’s Note: For the upcoming Sports Illustrated 2026–27 basketball preview magazine that will hit newsstands in October, SI spoke to anonymous scouts around the NBA about all 30 teams.

It’s a youth movement in Memphis.

The Grizzlies have a completely flipped roster after the franchise traded Desmond Bane last offseason, Jaren Jackson Jr. at the trade deadline and Ja Morant over the summer. A slew of draft picks came in for Bane and Jackson, while the end of Morant’s time in Memphis was the final domino to fall so the Grizzlies could fully turn the page.

After a 25–57 season, Memphis jumped up into the top four of the draft lottery with the third pick, which gave the Grizzlies the easiest pick in the 2026 draft. With a clear top three of AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer, they got to take the blue-chip prospect who fell to No. 3. That was Boozer after the Wizards took Dybantsa first and the Jazz followed with Peterson. The Duke product and son of former NBA player Carlos Boozer immediately arrives to Memphis as its franchise player, one that looks NBA ready at just 19 years old.

“I think Cameron Boozer is the surest bet of this rookie class,” an anonymous NBA scout told Sports Illustrated. “He can shoot the three already and he can pass. In Memphis, he is going to have the ball all the time. I would think he will have a pretty good season in terms of being a playmaker, spacing the floor, and then if he could find a good pick-and-roll partner, hitting that ball in the pocket and making plays with his vision, I think he'd be a pretty good weapon offensively, even though he's not known as great of an athlete or physical specimen or anything like that. He still has decent size. And when you can shoot, all of a sudden you're a little bit bigger.”

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Boozer was incredible in his only season at Duke with 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.0 stocks (steals plus blocks) per game. He was a consensus All-American and the AP’s national college player of the year.

His development is the most important goal for the Grizzlies over the next few seasons, but the franchise has a couple other intriguing young players to build around. Most notably, Cedric Coward and Zach Edey. Coward, the 11th pick in the 2025 draft, scored 13.6 points per game in his first season and showcased all-around play that led to first team All-Rookie honors.

“They like Coward there. I thought he was solid last season,” the scout said to SI. “He got a lot of hype because of his draft position and some good play early on. He got hurt for a good stretch. He's another guy that I think is going to be a solid NBA player. I'm not sure what his over-the-tops would be. He plays solid defense, has a good body and plays hard and that kind of stuff. Can he develop a bullseye shot? I don't know. Is he a slasher? I don't really think he's an incredible slasher. So his ceiling might be in that Keegan Murray, Trey Murphy area, but at least that's better than nothing though. At least he's a player.”

Even if he doesn’t project as a future star, players like Coward are needed in Memphis to add high-level pieces around Boozer if everything clicks and he’s the guy moving forward.

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Edey played just 11 games last season as he was sidelined with an ankle injury. He was the ninth pick in the 2024 draft and had a strong first season where he was named first team All-Rookie. He’s an enormous presence at 7'3" and, as long as he can stay healthy, gives Memphis a powerful frontcourt for the future alongside Boozer. Although Edey has shot more three-pointers in the NBA compared to his Purdue days, he has yet to show the ability to truly space the floor which could unlock the Grizzlies’ offense.

“Does he start shooting threes? Can he do it efficiently? If he’s out on the perimeter, great. I’d let him shoot threes. Keeps him out of the paint. I'd take that over him pounding me on the glass,” the scout said. “But I do think he has a place as a good player. He can get you open. If he can finish around the rim and rebound, that's value enough if he stays healthy. That's the biggest question with him.”

Offseason recap

Who’s in: Cameron Boozer (draft), Karim López (draft), Jerami Grant, Isaiah Stewart, Quinten Post, D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Hawkins, Kris Murray, Micah Peavy
Who’s out: Ja Morant, Santi Aldama, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Taj Gibson

The draft picks are the key additions of the Grizzlies’ offseason, but the front office did a nice job to add Isaiah Stewart and Quinten Post in the frontcourt. Both will play a role immediately and they offer nice depth in case Edey has to miss time. Stewart brings an identity after he was important both on the floor and in the locker room over his past six seasons in Detroit.

Jerami Grant came in through the Morant trade. He has two years left on his contract at a high dollar amount, but the Grizzlies can use his scoring on such a young team in the meantime. Due to the offseason moves which included taking on bad contracts to move Morant or to acquire draft capital, Memphis is over the regular-season roster limit. Currently with 19 guaranteed contracts, players like D’Angelo Russell, Micah Peavy, Kris Murray and Jordan Hawkins in danger of falling victim to the roster crunch, according to The Stein Line.

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SI’s prediction for the 2026–27 Grizzlies

Record: 23–59 | Predicting the 2026–27 NBA Standings: Which Teams Will Rise, Fall and Surprise?

While the Grizzlies have a sense of direction after closing the book on the Morant era, this team needs some time. Boozer’s development and Edey’s return makes them fun to watch. They could be frisky and make better teams sweat with a strong front line and the arrival of Stewart, but the Western Conference is too loaded for this clunky of a roster to work in Boozer’s first season.

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