Winners and losers from Memphis Grizzlies preseason loss to Orlando Magic

The Memphis Grizzlies lost in preseason action against the Orlando Magic 122-118, and while the result itself does not mean much, there are still things to take away.

Between a second consecutive strong performance from a wing and Zach Edey seeing action, here are winners and losers from Memphis' second game of the preseason.

Winner: GG Jackson

GG Jackson put together his second-straight quality performance this preseason. Not only could this be significant for Memphis' wing rotation, but this is a massive year for Jackson's future. He is entering the final year of his current contract, and his role in a winning environment has yet to be defined.

Jackson has had scoring outbursts while playing in games that did not have playoff implications for depleted Grizzlies teams. However, this is the year when Jackson must show that his skill set is valuable to a team that is competing for a playoff spot.

GG Jackson steal and slam in transition pic.twitter.com/Tngfo3CJt0
— eric (@EricTweetsNBA) October 8, 2026

His scoring popped, as it usually does when Jackson performs well. Jackson finished with 15 points on 5-for-13 shooting, but he also impacted the game elsewhere, grabbing 6 rebounds.

Winner: Cam Boozer

Cam Boozer looked the part, putting up 16 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists in 22 minutes. He shot an efficient 4-for-7 from the field and got to the line frequently, going 6-for-7 from the charity stripe.

Cameron Boozer: 16 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 4/7 FG, 2/3 3FG, 6/7 FT, 79 TS% vs Magic

Another great showing for the Grizzlies rookie 🔥 pic.twitter.com/EsvJft1BXJ
— Basketball Performances (@NBAPerformances) October 8, 2026

Boozer showed more aggression as a scorer early in the game, but ended up playing in multiple roles by the end of his minutes. His versatility as an on and off the ball player is going to be massive for the Grizzlies' offense.

Loser: Missed free throws

Memphis found itself in a 36-18 hole at one point during the first quarter, and missed free throws were one of the biggest issues. At that point in the game, Memphis was just 6-for-12 from the line.

The Grizzlies finished the game just on free throws. Scotty Pippen Jr. was 1-for-4.

Loser: Weakside rim protection

Edey only played 10 minutes, but when he was out there Memphis struggled to protect the rim when Edey was sucked out to the perimeter. Wendell Carter Jr. made his first three-point attempt from the corner, forcing Edey to respect Carter's outside shot more while matched up on him.

Orlando had early success getting to the rim after that, and the Grizzlies' rim protection suffered without Edey or Isaiah Stewart in the paint.

Winner: Zach Edey being on the floor

Zach Edey gets the putback for his first bucket of the preseason pic.twitter.com/OBulCSYFvX
— eric (@EricTweetsNBA) October 8, 2026

While his minutes may not have popped too much, Edey being on the floor during the preseason is a win for Memphis. Zach Kleiman did not lean either way on media day as to if Edey would play in preseason games or not.

However, Tuomas Iisalo said before the game that Edey's progress so far was the "best-case scenario" that the team had planned.

"There was nothing that prevented us from going there."

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