A lot has changed for the Memphis Grizzlies since the start of 2025.
In January, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia had key roles for the Grizzlies and coach Taylor Jenkins. Memphis was the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference with hopes of adding a veteran wing piece to put the Grizzlies in contention for an NBA Finals run.
By the end of the year, Smart and LaRavia were traded. And Jenkins was fired.
However, while a lot has changed, many things remain the same.
The Grizzlies started the 2025-26 season waiting for key players to join the lineup. Guards Scotty Pippen Jr. (left toe) and free-agent acquisition Ty Jerome (calf strain) are recovering from injuries and have yet to make their season debuts. And the injuries just won’t stop.
This has been the case for much of the last two seasons for the Grizzlies.
Here are three New Year’s resolutions for the Grizzlies in 2026.
A healthier team
Everything with the Grizzlies starts with health. Memphis has struggled mightily with fielding a healthy roster, leading to the team being an unknown.
Point guard was considered the team’s strength before the season. No rostered Memphis point guard has played more than 17 games, and two haven’t debuted this season.
Center was considered a strength with Zach Edey and Brandon Clarke, plus Jaren Jackson Jr. able to slide over in a pinch. Edey and Clarke have been sidelined for most of the season because of injuries.
The Grizzlies set a record during the 2023-24 season with 578 games lost to injuries. This season hasn’t been as bad, but the team’s preferred starting five has only played four minutes of action together.
Memphis got Ja Morant, Jaylen Wells, Cedric Coward, Jackson and Edey on the floor together at the beginning of a Nov. 15 matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Morant left that game early with a calf injury.
By the time he returned a few weeks later, Edey was inured.
Coach Tuomas Iisalo has talked about the potential of getting Edey and Morant on the floor together. That combination should help Memphis get a better idea of this team’s true potential.
A tighter Grizzlies rotation
Memphis prides itself on playing fast and intense basketball for 48 minutes. Part of the trade-off is heavy substitution patterns that lead to top players getting less than their opponents.
Jackson leads the Grizzlies with 30.1 minutes per game. That total ranks 75th in the NBA.
In fact, every other NBA team has a player averaging more than 31 minutes per game.
The Grizzlies have built a deep roster that has led to the No. 1 bench scoring unit in the league, but it’s time to ramp up the minutes for the stars. Iisalo often talks about the long term picture, but the Grizzlies need wins. They’re currently ninth in the Western Conference standings.
Memphis has a young lineup that should be able to withstand a few more minutes in order to maximize opportunities with the best players on the floor.
Better results against top teams
Beating inferior competition hasn’t been too tough of a task for Memphis. The problem has been games against top teams.
The Grizzlies are 13-3 against teams with a record under .500. Against teams .500 or better, Memphis is 2-15.
If the Grizzlies are able to fulfill the first two resolutions on this list, then the this one should take care of itself.
Memphis won’t be able to climb up the standings without having better results against quality opponents. The Grizzlies’ next five games will come against teams with records over .500.
If 2026 is to be different, Memphis will need to fare better against the NBA’s upper echelon.
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at [email protected]. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
