On Saturday night, with a final score of 122-115, the Memphis Grizzlies lost their second game to the Portland Trail Blazers in as many days, while fielding their 19th different starting lineup of the season, the most of any team in the league.

Let’s get into it.

This Grizzlies team is uncentered – literally – after the dust settles from their trades, they have no available true centers.

The intended starting center, Zach Edey, has played in fewer than a dozen games this season, with no clear indication of when he will return. 

Edey missed the first 13 games of the season recovering from a June 2025 surgery on his left ankle. After playing 11 games, he was sidelined again by a stress reaction in the same ankle.

On December 11th, the Grizzlies announced the stress reaction in a medical update and stated he would be reevaluated in approximately four weeks.

An update on January 14th stated that “based on the unanimous recommendation of consulting experts, Edey will continue on his current plan of offloading and rehabilitation, with a reevaluation to follow in approximately six weeks.” I won’t say for certain that Edey will not play again this season, but I would be very surprised if he did.

Jock Landale has been a serviceable backup big man for Memphis this season, but he was included in the trade that sent Jaren Jackson Jr. to Utah, then almost immediately traded to the Atlanta Hawks.

Santi Aldama is a 7-footer, but the five is not the ideal place to play him. A good starting center needs to be more than just tall. 

So, in their second meeting in as many days, the Grizzlies started Kyle Anderson at center against the Trail Blazers in his Grizzlies’ re-debut. Anderson is listed as 6’8”, and his matchup was against 7’2” Donovan Clingan.

Despite their misfit starting lineup, the Grizzlies managed at least 30 points in each quarter through the first three and took an eight-point lead into the fourth.

It was the fourth quarter where things fell off, with Memphis scoring 19 points to Portland’s 34 points, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

While this team thrived earlier with a bench that was the best non-starter scoring bunch in the league, making those guys play extended minutes highlights certain, shall we say, flaws.

Every in-game picture of head coach Tuomas Iisalo lately looks like a disappointed dad questioning his life choices, and honestly, same. I, too, am questioning his life choices, and certainly his rotational ones. (Credit: Soobum Im-Imagn Images)

And when various departures and injuries force coach Tuomas Iisalo to retire such phrases as center and power forward, it leaves a team that may not be outgunned, but is certainly outheighted.

The result, a 7-point loss to an improving Trail Blazers team, makes one thing painfully apparent. Until the injuries heal, this Grizzlies team isn’t tanking because it’s just not good enough to tank.

Tanking implies decisions are being made – on the court, on the bench, or in the front office – to ensure winning as infrequently as possible to improve draft position. This team seems to be playing hard. It’s just not playing well.

By The Numbers:

The Grizzlies got their biggest scoring boost off the bench, with two-way forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper scoring a team and career-high 25 points on 9 of 13 overall shooting and 7 of 8 from beyond the arc, along with five rebounds.

Also, off the bench, two-way guard Javon Small put up 22 points on 7 of 10 overall shooting and 2 of 4 from three-point range, six rebounds, four assists, and one block.

Four out of five starters finished the night in double figures:

Ty Jerome with 13 points, one rebound, one assist, one steal, and one block.

Kyle Anderson scored 11 points on 5 of 6 overall shooting, six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope added 11 points, four rebounds, and one steal.

GG Jackson also added 11 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two blocks.

Who Got Next?

The Grizzlies continue their road trip with a stop in the Bay on Monday night to play the Golden State Warriors. Tip-off is at 9 PM CST.

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