The Memphis Grizzlies are rebuilding around a roster so deep in position battles that five players are chasing bigger roles before the Oct. 21 opener against Utah. With Jaren Jackson Jr. traded to the Jazz in February and Ja Morant sent to Portland in June, Memphis enters 2026-27 at 25-57 last season with no clear incumbent at several spots. The clearest answer right now: Zach Edey’s health determines everything else, and the guard and wing jobs behind him remain genuinely open.
General manager Zach Kleiman built this roster around versatility, pairing a seven-footer rookie with a returning center and stacking the backcourt with four or five players who can plausibly start. That competition is the story of training camp, and it will keep shaping the rotation long after opening night.
Zach Edey’s Health Sets The Ceiling
Nothing about Memphis’ season matters more than whether Edey stays on the floor. The 2024 ninth overall pick played just 11 games last season and has dealt with left ankle injuries dating to his rookie year, when a sprain cost him 12 games. Memphis still exercised his rookie scale option for this season, a sign the front office is building around him regardless.
Edey has been cleared for full-court activity and is expected to be ready for the opener, according to NBA.com. Kleiman said Monday that Edey “is exactly where we hoped he would be at this point in time.” Edey himself described a shift in conditioning: “I’m really locked into my body. I’ve never spent this much time just on everything,” he said in training camp, adding that he feels “more athletic” than a year ago.
If Edey holds up physically, Memphis has its anchor. If he doesn’t, the frontcourt math changes for everyone else on the roster, including the rookie Memphis drafted to play beside him. Edey’s health situation remains the swing factor in how far this season can go.
Cameron Boozer Gets Built-In Chemistry With Edey
Cam Boozer, the No. 3 overall pick out of Duke, arrives as the rookie power forward Memphis is pairing directly with Edey. The two worked out together before camp opened specifically to build on-court chemistry, and Boozer has already bought in. “Being 7-4, he can really change the game offensively and defensively.
He’s just a paint-patroller. I think it is going to be a lot of fun,” Boozer said of playing alongside Edey.
That pairing gives Memphis a clear frontcourt identity if both stay healthy. It also means Boozer’s path to minutes is less contested than almost anyone else’s on the roster, since the front office has already signaled the frontcourt pairing it wants to see on the floor together.
The Backcourt Battle Has No Obvious Favorite
Unlike the frontcourt, where roles look largely set, the guard competition is wide open. Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen are both competing for the starting point guard job, while Cedric Coward is fighting for starting wing or guard minutes. Jerami Grant and Jaylen Wells are each competing for a starting wing spot as well, leaving Memphis with more plausible starters than starting spots.
Cam Spencer is squarely in that mix too, and the numbers make a real case for him. He shot 44.8% from three-point range last season and averaged 11.1 points with two made triples per game across 72 games, including 20 starts, according to CBS Sports. He also posted 5.6 assists per game, a number that stands out for a player generally viewed as a shooter first. At 26, Spencer has the profile to operate as a secondary playmaker if Memphis slots him into the starting five, taking pressure off whoever wins the point guard job.
Isaiah Stewart, acquired from Detroit as another frontcourt enforcer, adds further competition for big-man minutes even with Edey and Boozer penciled in. Stewart said simply, “I’m happy I’m on the team with Zach because he’s a big body.” Quinten Post, a seven-footer signed from Golden State, gives Memphis a fourth big in the mix. Karim López, Olivier-Maxence Prosper and Javon Small round out a rotation where nearly every player can slide across multiple positions, according to Yahoo Sports.
The Counterpoint: Versatility Is Not A Finished Product
Memphis’ positional flexibility is real, but it is not automatically an advantage. A roster full of players who can play two or three positions still needs someone to simply be the best player on the floor against teams built around NBA-ready stars, and Memphis may struggle in those matchups regardless of how many lineup combinations it can deploy. Versatility helps a team survive injuries and mismatches. It does not replace high-end talent, and Memphis is still searching for its next proven difference-maker beyond Edey and Boozer.
Even with full health across the roster, Memphis may be a year or two away from a genuine playoff push in the Western Conference. That framing matters for how fans should read this training camp competition. The battles for starting jobs are real, but they are happening inside a rebuild, not a win-now roster.
What To Watch As Camp Continues
The next confirmed checkpoint is the Oct. 21 opener against Utah, the team that now employs Jackson Jr. after February’s trade. Watch for whether Edey holds up through the final stretch of camp without setback, since his ankle history makes any soreness a story in itself. Watch the point guard competition between Jerome and Pippen for signs of a leader emerging, and track whether Spencer’s shooting and playmaking numbers are enough to lock him into the first five. Memphis enters its new era centered on Boozer and Coward after an extensive offseason overhaul, and how those two settle into their roles will shape the rotation long past opening night.
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