Veteran center tabbed as 'answer' to Grizzlies center rotation

The Memphis Grizzlies are looking to redeem themselves this coming season after a nauseating 2023-24 campaign that saw numerous key-player absences, a historic number of different lineups, and injury woes galore.

With guys like Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. all expected to be full goes and being joined by promising up-and-coming studs in GG Jackson, Vince Williams Jr. and several other impressive contributors, the odds of seeing a bounce-back run out in Grind City are quite high.

That said, even with these pluses and positive storylines, there are still several areas of concern when it comes to Taylor Jenkins' club, and, to Josh Cornelissen of Raptor's Rapture, one of their main question marks resides at the pivot position.

Following the departure of Steven Adams last season, who was traded to the Houston Rockets in early February, the Grizzlies had a vacancy down at center that was in dire need of being filled ahead of 2024-25.

Because of this, GM Zach Kleiman opted to utilize the franchise's ninth overall pick in this past NBA Draft on Purdue behemoth, Zach Edey, who, with his two straight AP Player of the Year awards, high-end shot swatting and board-gobbling skills, and monstrous 7-foot-4, 300-pound frame looks to be an optimal long-term prospect to man the middle for the years to come.

Of course, this team is looking to reestablish itself as a legitimate title threat as soon as this coming season, which, in turn, places a lot of pressure upon the rookie project to make an impact immediately.

While the eye-test from his collegiate career and Summer League play suggest he should be a perfect pivot for this core, in the event that Edey isn't capable of becoming that franchise five in year one Cornelissen suggests the Grizzlies should have an established presence at the position in tow ahead of season's tip-off, and pegged Raptors veteran Jakob Poeltl as an ideal target.

Jakob Poeltl viewed as potential 'answer' to Grizzlies backup center spot

Coming into his ninth season in the association, the 28-year-old Poeltl possesses the brand of experience every title-hungry team could benefit from having. Unfortunately for him, however, he's trapped on the currently re-tooling and youth-movement Raptors roster.

Though there's no indication at this point in time that Toronto is even open to the concept of moving on from the seasoned center, Cornelissen isn't convinced that he's a guarentee to remain in the Great White North for the long-term, and, should he end up being moves, the Grizzlies could greatly benefit from his addition.

"Adding Poeltl would make the Grizzlies extremely expensive moving forward, but it would also give them a ferocious defensive base with Poeltl playing alongside recent Defensive Player of the Year winners in Jaren Jackson Jr. and Marcus Smart. The shooting of Jackson mitigates some of the difficulties of building around Poeltl on offense, and his screen-setting and rim-running should fit in well," Cornelissen wrote.

Though by no means a star, throughout his professional career Poeltl has established himself as an incredibly sturdy force at the center spot who can defend the paint, snatch down rebounds, and work the post on offense.

Last year, the big wrapped up his campaign with solid per game averages of 11.1 points, 8.6 boards, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 blocks while shooting 65.6 percent from the field.

This type of production, coupled with his enviable 7-foot, 229-pound frame, crafts a very sound argument that had the Grizzlies not selected Edey at nine and, instead, went in a completely different direction from a positional standpoint, Poeltl could very well have been a realistic and reliable option to have serving as the club's starting five.

With this logic, then the idea of bringing him on as a tried and true backup to have spell the rookie for chunks of minutes at a time on a nightly basis could easily be seen as an ideal scenario.

Of course, in the hypothetical scenario where Memphis did strike a deal for Poeltl they'd have to find a way to shed enough coin in the exchange to make room for his $19.5 million salary for this coming year, as they already find themselves right on the cusp over going over the luxury tax as is.

However, if they were to find a way to make the numbers work, the veteran would be one of the most ideal options to have flesh out their center depth, and, in Cornelissen's eyes, he realistically could prove to be "the answer they need."