The NBA G League kicked off its season last Friday, November 8th with six games followed by seven games on Saturday, November 9th. The Memphis Grizzlies G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, opened their season on Saturday with a road loss at the Houston Rockets G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
The Memphis Grizzlies have done a great job utilizing their G League team and finding players from other G League teams. Three current rostered players got their start in the G League as undrafted players (Scotty Pippen Jr., Jay Huff, and John Konchar). As the G League season gets underway, there are important updates to know what and who to get excited about in this year's G League slate for the Memphis Hustle.
Where do the Memphis Hustle play?
The Memphis Hustle has been in existence since the 2017-18 season and plays at the Landers Center in Southaven, Mississippi. For those wondering why a team with a Memphis name in front of it plays in another state, Southaven is directly across the state line south of Memphis, Tennessee. The Landers Center is 16 miles from the Grizzlies' home arena (FedExForum).
Tickets to a Memphis Hustle home game are available for purchase at Ticketmaster.com/Memphis-Hustle-Tickets, the Landers Center Box Office, or by calling (901) 888-HOOP.
Notable players on the roster
Two-way prospect and fan favorite Yuki Kawamura headlines the Memphis Hustle roster. The rookie point guard has appeared in eight of the Grizzlies' 11 games this season at the end of blowout victories and losses, including chants for him to play and to attempt shots. It's safe to say that Yuki will garner a crowd at the Memphis Hustle games he plays in.
Ask and you shall receive.
— Griffin S. DeMarrais (@GDeMarraisTV) October 27, 2024
At the end of the Grizzlies home opener fans started chanting "We want Yuki" and sure enough a couple minutes later the Japanese star took the court for the first time.
Kawamura said "It was a special moment"@WMCActionNews5 pic.twitter.com/dPggYzauk1
My #F1 moots, i need y'all to know there is an nba player called Yuki, and he's beloved by everyone. This is the opp crowd cheering him on 😳🥺pic.twitter.com/o0c0TTkDwV
— Nola Darling 🇷🇼🇨🇦 (@NolaDarling250) November 11, 2024
Another notable roster player includes two-way second-round pick Cam Spencer, who showed promise in the Summer League before a pre-training camp ankle injury has kept him out since late September. Other notable players include recent two-way signee center Colin Castleton, training camp invitee Armando Bacot, and former 10-day contract signee and training camp invitee Maozinha Pereira.
Fun Facts about past Memphis Hustle players
The Grizzlies currently have five players on their roster who were signed to two-way contracts, including four within the past year with the Memphis Grizzlies. Only three of those players actually played games for the Hustle as Scotty Pippen Jr. and Jay Huff signed to the active roster before ever suiting up for the Grizzlies G League affiliate.
Second-year forward GG Jackson averaged 20.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, one steals, and 1.3 blocks in 16 games played with the Memphis Hustle last season before his opportunity and promotion onto the Memphis Grizzlies main roster. Third-year wing Vince Williams Jr. averaged 15.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, four assists, and one steal in eight total games played with the Memphis Hustle in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.
Six-year forward John Konchar began his career on a two-way contract in 2019 and averaged 12.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.8 steals in 20 games played with the Memphis Hustle during the 2019-20 season. He signed to the Memphis Grizzlies active roster in November 2020 and has been a mainstay since.