All teams are a bit of a mystery coming into the season, but with injuries mounting for the Grizzlies, the lineup and rotation are very much up in their air with 48 hours until opening tip off. In his first game as the permanent head coach, Tuomas Iisalo has to first find out who is available.
Projecting the Grizzlies rotation for Game 1
As a way to preview the first game, here is a projection of who will be playing for Memphis this Wednesday. Let’s start by seeing who is out with injuries:
G Ty Jerome
G Scotty Pippen Jr.
C Zach Edey
F/C Brandon Clarke
That leaves 11 players on the main roster, with three additionally eligible to suit up as two-way players. The starting lineup is expected to be this:
PG Ja Morant
SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF Jaylen Wells
PF Jaren Jackson Jr.
C Jock Landale
Off the bench, Santi Aldama will get minutes at the four and five after re-signing on a three-year, $52.5M deal this offseason. There is even a slight chance Aldama starts over Landale at the five.
Cedric Coward was a lottery pick just a few months ago and will be assured of minutes at the wing. John Konchar and Vince Williams Jr. may be fighting for minutes at the other backup wing spot, but both should get some run in the opener. GG Jackson II is the other wing on the main roster, and should get some spot minutes as a scoring spark off the bench.
The guard spot is where it may get tricky. Second year player Cam Spencer did not show much in his rookie season, but may be the next man up at point guard. Two-way rookie Javon Small is more of a traditional point guard and has impressed in the preseason, scoring 18 and 16 in the last two games. Due to that development, Small is expected to be given a chance over Spencer.
Deeper in the bench, Olivier Maxence-Prosper and PJ Hall are on two-way contracts and are not expected to take on major roles early in the season. With all that said, here is an estimate on minutes for the game one starters:
PG Morant: 28-30 min.
SG Caldwell-Pope: 30-32 min.
SF Wells: 26-28 min.
PF Jackson Jr.: 26-28 min.
C Landale: 24-26 min.
Ideally, Morant and JJJ would take on a bigger minutes load, but with both star players coming off injuries, it would be a surprise to see either get more than 30 minutes. On the wing, the Grizzlies are fortunate to have KCP in the fold, as he has been one of the most durable players in the NBA during his career. Off the bench, here are projections for the six players expected to get minutes:
F/C: Aldama 26-28 min.
G/F: Coward 20-22 min.
G/F: Konchar 16-18 min.
G: Small 12-14 min.
F: Williams Jr. 12-14 min.
F: Jackson II 10-12 min
Aldama will play a key role as a go-to option in bench lineups, while Coward will be given a chance to start his rookie year on a high note. Konchar will likely be playing to help out with ball handling, though Small is anticipated to get an opportunity at back up point guard minutes with Williams Jr. and Jackson II filling out the minutes at the wing.