he Memphis Grizzlies won 48 games last season before getting swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder. The season before that, injuries and suspensions piled up, and the team won only 27 games.
In the three years before that, Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. led them to the postseason, although they failed to make much noise. Two years ago, most fans would have labeled the Grizzlies a team on the rise. Now, they are on the cusp of a rebuild.
Five of the Grizzlies’ best players–Morant, Zach Edey, Brandon Clarke, Ty Jerome, and Scotty Pippen Jr.–are all currently battling injury. Before the season has even kicked off, the Grizzlies are in a dark spot. Somehow, that might be a good thing.
Memphis Grizzlies Could Make Run at AJ Dybantsa
AJ Dybantsa is one of the best prospects in a loaded 2026 NBA Draft Class. In his first appearance for BYU, the 18-year-old freshman scored 30 points against Nebraska, a very real Big Ten program.
In the Western Conference, if the Grizzlies lag behind, they could very quickly find themselves next to the Utah Jazz at the bottom of the standings, with prime draft position.
“If you get in a hole early, I’m not sure you’re getting out of it,” explained ESPN’s Tim Bontemps on the October 20th episode of the Hoop Collective. “You know, these guys could be down three point guards and three centers at the start of the season.”
The Grizzlies have battled injuries in each of the last two seasons, killing any momentum they built in Morant’s first few seasons. Luckily, Memphis is in a prime position to rebuild.
“If you look at where Memphis is at, they have their pick, they have probably this Phoenix pick,” said Bontemps of 2026. “Two high-value assets, potentially.”
If the Grizzlies are willing to play ball, they could land a franchise cornerstone.
Memphis Grizzlies Overdue for a Rebuild
Both Jackson Jr. and Morant are 26. Both are just entering their primes and should be able to impact winning, although it’s clear that neither can be the centerpiece on a Finals-bound team.
In recent years, the Grizzlies drafted Edey, Jaylen Wells, and Cedric Coward. All three were seasoned college players, older than most rookies. As a result, Memphis is at a crossroads. They can either double down on the Morant/Jackson Jr. timeline or go all-in on youth, tanking this season away with the hopes of landing a true building block.
If they chose the second option, they won’t be alone.
“There’s going to be another handful of NBA teams hoping to lose as many games as possible to have the right to have one of them on their team next year,” said Bontemps of the top prospects in 2026.
The Grizzlies own their own pick and one from the Phoenix Suns. Neither of those should be in the top three, although Memphis could very easily package both picks, as well as Jackson Jr., for a spot close to the top. A young lineup of Wells, Coward, Edey, Dybantsa, and Morant should be enough for the Grizzlies to bounce back in the coming years. It is a drastic measure that small-market teams don’t always take.
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