Grizzlies' Roster Brings Hope at Every Position

The talent in Memphis is adding up so quickly, the shift in team identity may feel seismic overnight.

The Grizzlies are resetting its roster around tough, smart talent across the board.

With the previous era of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks officially behind them after shipping off Morant to Portland in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, Memphis is officially in its next era, a decade likely to be defined by the team's Top-5 pick this summer.

Not only did the Grizzlies add coveted rookie Cameron Boozer with the 3rd overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, they added Karim Lopez (21st) and Richie Saunders (32nd) to round out a big draft haul with two potential rotation players to go with their potential franchise cornerstone power forward.

Memphis' rebuild is off to a roaring start, between the consistent two-way impact and feel of Boozer to rely on as a halfcourt decision maker going forward flanked by Cedric Coward's D&3 wing impact and the highly destructive Zach Edey down low.

These three alone offer the Grizzlies a legit young core to build around, potentially consisting of three high-level two-way players.

One could argue the consistency, availability, and reliability of Boozer complements the uncertainty of Edey's game-by-game status, allowing the team to hold onto the rails of the regular season without Zach, while possibly evolving into an even more dynamic animal with the 300lb 7'3" force of nature running rim to rim finishing plays off the effortless playmaking of the all-seeing Cameron Boozer.

Why Cam Boozer is Best #1 Pick Bet in 2026 NBA Draft

"One-of-one offensive engine prospect" - @beyondtheRK

"Makes offense easier for everyone with his ability to draw attention, pass, run P&R, screen... really special" - @bgeis_bird

𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 pic.twitter.com/dZriGI1B7x
— Swish Theory (@SwishTheory) April 11, 2026

How the Grizzlies roster depth brings hope at every position

Small defends Davison — Apr 12, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard JD Davison (4) and Memphis Grizzlies guard Javon Small (10) battle for the ball during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

According Spotrac, the Grizzlies have 4 Point Guards on their roster, including D'Angelo Russell who reportedly will follow the recent path of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and either be waived or traded.

Memphis is loaded at Power Forward, with 7 listed on their roster by Spotrac, and that doesn't include rookie forward Karim Lopez.

For the purposes of this exercise, let's squeeze the positions to guards, wings, and bigs:

The Memphis Grizzlies and veteran guard D’Angelo Russell are expected to work towards parting ways — either via buyout or trade — this offseason, sources tell @YahooSports. https://t.co/oLGlFcYA4R
— Kelly Iko (@KellyIko) July 23, 2026

Guards

Memphis backcourt has more talent than meets the eye. Beyond Cedric Coward already delivering defense and 3pt shooting with some scoring upside, there are multiple guards who could develop into legit rotation players one day for the Grizzlies, and even potential starters next to Coward in the backcourt in the longterm.

Jaylen Wells is a premier point-of-attack defender for the team defense to utilize against opposing guards to ideally slow them down without needing double teams. Wells is already becoming a high-volume 3pt shooter at a good rate, revealing legit 3&D potential for two-way impact, and a positive A/TO to boot.

Javon Small, the 24yo sophomore on a two-way deal, is another potential rotation player who shows two-way impact and high-feel, knocking down 42% 3P% of his 3.5 3PA last season, 51% on 3.6 2PA, 83% FT on 2 FTA with a staggering 3.7 AST / 1.4 TOV ratio and an impressive 1.9% STL%.

Walter Clayton is a recent collegiate champion with UF, a sniper of a movement 3pt shooter in his own right who shows good conditioning, agility, and touch that can continue to help him develop as a scorer, shooter, and free throw maker. Clayton's creation effectiveness is also seen in his high assist to turnover ratio, 5.7/2.5 last season.

Rookie Richie Saunders out of BYU offers another 3pt shooter prospect to the equation. AJ Johnson offers some explosive athleticism with good height and length for a guard. Scotty Pippen Jr. is another tough guard who can run point if needed. Cam Spencer was the greatest college lacrosse player in the country at one point, who is now sniping shots from deep on the NBA hardwood at an elite rate.

There are plenty of guards for this Memphis team to roll out, give reps to, help develop, and ultimately test out whether they are good fits for their team vision, which is primarily next to the core of Boozer, Edey, and Coward.

One x-factor among the guards for next season is veteran Ty Jerome. Now in the middle of his prime, after thriving in Cleveland and with Morant out of the picture, Jerome could be given the keys in Memphis to run the show. If Jerome's underrated impact stays incredibly high along with his efficiency as his touches, shots, and usage rise, Memphis could have a potential star guard on their hands, already a nuclear 3pt shooter whose gravity could be captured and maximized in the right system. Even if Jerome wound up just a starter-level player for Memphis, at this point in the rebuild, even that would be a success, especially on a deal under $10M annually.

Memphis has proven guards it can rely on for times it needs to compete its hardest and help Boozer learning winning habits, and potential rotation player prospect guards to develop, each with different traits to explore.

What Differentiates Cam Boozer from past Duke Stars?

"Snappy decision-making... the ability to read the floor... Having the physical profile to deliver timely accurate passes that really punctuate the brilliance" - @bgeis_bird

𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 @SwishTheory pic.twitter.com/7IZu0XrL5N
— Ryan Kaminski NBA (@beyondtheRK) April 9, 2026

Wings/Forwards

Through a few weeks of Summer League, Cameron Boozer looks as advertised, a halfcourt hub high-feel decision maker who executes with precision within sets and sends outlet passes on a dime on fast breaks making it look as easy as Brady to Moss.

Boozer is more of a stretch-four who can handle and drive than he is a small forward who can speed by anyone in front of him, but he is so highly skilled at so many things, his presence tends to create gravity for the offense with or without the ball, his instincts tend to lead to steals, and his teams tend to win games while seeing high impact with him on the floor.

Still, Cam is probably best at the 4 in most lineups, which leaves Memphis in an interesting position heading into his rookie season. Where this team is heavy with power forwards, it's extremely light on the other side of the frontcourt, lacking true small forwards on the wing.

Coward is a lengthy guard who can spot check wings, a big 6'5" guard more than a small forward. Boozer is probably best at the 4, although he is skilled enough to experiment with wonky lineups.

This is one reason rookie Karim Lopez could have been selected, offering hope for some stability on the wing as a jack of all trades team-first type role player who can defend a little, shoot a little, pass a little, and attack closeouts, ideally fitting into most lineup combinations Memphis could roll out.

Taylor Hendricks is a legit 6'9" versatile defender who can shoot, giving him real two-way upside as a rotation player here in the long term.

Jerami Grant is a former all-star and plus defender; while his impact hasn't been the same as those peak levels, perhaps Memphis can motivate him in the right role to contribute, at least as a veteran depth piece. GG Jackson and Kris Murray have shown some flashes offensively.

The Grizzlies will likely have to play super small 3-guard lineups or supersized 3-forward/big lineups, which could create mismatches for or against them depending on the matchup.

Bigs

Zach Edey is the defacto starting center for Memphis, despite how he might deal with some variety of injuries for an uncertain portion of his career. Edey provides a rim-protecting rack-attack rim-running hard-screening post-up-mismatch force unlike any other in the NBA, a strong counter punch to compliment the finesse and feel of Boozer. Even if the Grizzlies get peak Edey for only half the time, he's the type of high-impact player who is worth holding onto if you are the team that gets those games out of him; while the NBA schedules are unforgiving, the players who produce high impact despite it still have value.

Isaiah Stewart was one of the marquee moves of the summer, with Memphis acquiring the resident tough guy from Detroit, adding an enforcer to its roster who immediately sets the tone with toughness defensively. Still just 25 years old, Beef Stew could be served up in a whole new dish next year if the Grizzlies can figure out how to best unlock him next to Boozer and/or Edey, or perhaps even both in some of the aforementioned supersized lineups.

Quinten Post is an underrated signing, an up-and-coming stretch big from Golden State. Post stands as a 240lb 7-footer who blocks 2.8% BLK% of his team's shots while launching threes from deep like his life depends on it, shooting threes at a rate of .631 3PAr last season; a big man who counters Edey's size with a knockdown 3pt shot skill, converting 36% 3P% on 4 3PA over two NBA seasons.

Post could offer a 3pt offensive card for coaches to play that counters the defensive card that Stewart brings, giving the coaching staff different options depending on matchup and availability.

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Gibson has stuck around NBA locker rooms for his veteran presence, his rebounding prowess, and his defensive toughness. Having a big who's been there and done that to step in any time a key rotation piece gets hurt or needs a breather helps round out the end of the bench with playable, valuable depth.

How Memphis is Building Roster Around High-Level Feel & Two-Way Tenacity

Grizzlies Cedric Coward (23) and GG Jackson (45) watch the introductory press conference for the team’s 2026 NBA Draft picks at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., on June 25, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The key for this Memphis rebuild isn't to maximize the production of every young prospect on this team, it's to build a winning program while maximizing the development for each individual player.

Helping players grow their game while maintaining a mindset around team goals by defining their roles, letting them make mistakes within that role to become more confident later on, leads to the the team building continuity, chemistry, and trust as a unit, a major key to roster building as nothing can be achieved individually without the sum of the parts coming together to become better as a whole.

With Memphis understanding Boozer is likely the face of the franchise for the foreseeable future, the first test is to see how fellow members of the key core in Coward and Edey look next to him. Coward looking like he's too good for Summer League was a strong start.

Beyond that, the next task is to see how everyone else falls into the rotation from there. One of these guards could pop out from the rest in how they play with Boozer, their chemistry on the court, elevating their value to this particular rebuilding team going forward, which will help Memphis make tougher roster decisions when the time comes.

Ty Jerome (29), Cam Spencer (26), Quentin Post (26), and Isaiah Stewart (25) are all 'young veterans' for this locker room who will likely be counted on as rotation players next season. Jerami Grant (32) is a bit of an x-factor as a proven veteran who could help this team compete if properly motivated.

Cameron Boozer (19), Cedric Coward (23), Zach Edey (24), Javon Small (24), Jaylen Wells (23), and Taylor Hendricks (23) all being under 25 years old while already showing traits like high feel for the game, two-way versatility, and projecting positive two-way impact long term is extremely promising for this Memphis rebuild, not to mention a handful of other interesting talents under 25 on the roster.

The amount of natural playmakers, point guards, and connectors on this team is higher than recent years, with multiple guards who promise to run point, Boozer passing in and out from anywhere on the floor, with legit play-finishers in Edey and Coward to finish these plays created by others. Simply having this many team-first decision makers who can shoot and move the ball with the goal of finding the open man and best shot for the team in mind could level up the collective feel of this group.

Now its up to the coaching staff to get the most out of all this optionality. Memphis has loads of guards and forwards to try out next to its new young core, starting refreshed with an empty slate.

With a little help from the injury gods, Grizzlies fans could be in for a fun ride of a season full of no expectations, unproven talent, and hungry young players ready to build something new that genuinely competes for a long time.

Committing to defense, playmaking, 3pt shooting, and smart decision makers is the winning formula the Memphis Grizzlies are betting on as their next team identity; bringing back that Grit & Grind with a modern twist of Touch & Feel.

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