Will Ja play with Grizzlies again? Tuomas Iisalo impressions, draft fits

The Memphis Grizzlies return from the All-Star break today, as the season has pivoted to a younger rebuild. With less than 30 games left, what’s in store for the Grizzlies? What could the future look like? Have we seen the last of Ja Morant in a Memphis Grizzlies uniform?

In this mailbag, we hit on all things Grizzlies — mainly centered around Morant, Tuomas Iisalo’s coaching performance, the prospects the Grizzlies could draft, and their asset management.

Ja Morant will be reevaluated in two weeks for an elbow sprain, according to Grizzlies PR. I’m sure he will play another minute. For starters, the NBA has a close eye on tanking with hefty fines to the Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz. While the Grizzlies have an injury designation on Ja, if he’s healthy, he’ll play. I’m sure caution will be had, but it will be best for both parties if he plays. A great point guard on the floor creates easier looks for young players. If Morant and the Grizzlies are seeking trades, it’s an opportunity to create a lasting impression to pique interest for offers.

If Jaren Jackson Jr. were still on the team, I’d lean maybe. Frankly, I felt it’s just been a matter of time since the game against the Lakers where he visibly gave up after halftime tension between him and Isaias. Also, if the Grizzlies aren’t interested in offering an extension, it’s hard to see both parties trying again from another full season.

I definitely think he can be a successful NBA coach. I know the fan reaction to Iisalo isn’t quite great. He’s unorthodox with his substitution patterns, minutes distribution, and timeout usage. However, his player development within handlers — particularly the amplified production of Ty Jerome, and the play from Cam Spencer and Vince Williams Jr. — has been noteworthy. His system elevated Jock Landale from third-string center to serviceable spot-starter. The glimpses from Edey’s time shows how complete everything looked when he was on the floor.

There isn’t enough discussion around this, but playing modern NBA basketball without point guards and big men is hard. For the majority of the season, the Grizzlies haven’t had Morant, Jerome, Scotty Pippen Jr., Zach Edey, and Brandon Clarke. Without the guards, the organization of the offense can be unsteady. Also, those three players are capable of creating for themselves and others — although at varying degrees. Without Edey and Clarke, they’re missing strong rolling presence, rebounding production, and center field coverage defensively. Those factors matter, and that’s why you see lead instability. It’s hard to run a ball-screen heavy offense without guards and bigs.

With that said, Iisalo will get a fresher slate to work with next season. Maybe the vision will materialize. The system with the flow, motion, and screening can work. The defensive pressure with high pick-up points can be more evident. Their roster construction over the next six months can yield more tangible results in achieving Iisalo’s systems.

To the full picture of the question — will he be successful? It depends on the definition of success — championship, conference finals, multiple playoff series wins. Who knows on that front. Regardless, it wouldn’t shock me if Iisalo is at the helm whenever the Grizzlies return to the playoffs. He’s not immune to criticism, but he’s also better than given credit for.

No, I genuinely think the Grizzlies have had every intention to win with their roster tweaks and their infrastructure, but injuries dismantled it. See above why I don’t think poor coaching is a product either.

While I’m at the point of the evaluation where the guard spot is best player available — and I’d love to see the Grizzlies find their point guard of the future in this draft — it’s not entirely pressing. Jerome and Pippen are good floor-raisers that pressure opponents. For the former, it’s with his creation and shooting prowess. With the latter, it’s pressuring the rim and defending with high pickup points and intensity.

Now with the question of drafting a reliable, healthy big, I’m skeptical of doing so in this draft — even with concerns about Edey’s health. Arguably the best pure center, Jayden Quaintance, has been dealing with knee issues following a torn ACL. Duke’s Patrick Ngongba has his share of injury history too. Hannes Steinbach would be a good option, but his limited rim protection may hurt his viability as a full-time 5. I do love the idea of staggering him and Edey with occasional minutes together to bash the boards. The rest of the board within the two picks (8 and 15) has more combo forwards that can play pinches at the 5.

If they wanted an insurance policy on Edey’s health, I’d target a veteran option, especially since their cap sheet will be clean enough where they can splurge a bit on a good backup until Edey’s rookie deal is up.

Positionally, I’d bet on a lead guard, especially with that range. The Grizzlies could have multiple of Kingston Flemings, Mikel Brown Jr., Darius Acuff, and Keaton Wagler on the board with their first pick. It’s hard to imagine them passing that opportunity. If they go with a different positional archetype with their first pick, then they can still target someone like Bennett Stirtz with their second pick.

I can also see the Grizzlies drafting another combo forward. This draft has a lot of solid options there. Older prospects like Yaxel Lendeborg, Thomas Haugh, and Josh Jefferson could be good bets, as either of them can toggle between the 3, 4, and 5. If they want to be patient with upside, Nate Ament is another option. I’m not sure he comes out in this year’s draft, but Dailyn Swain out of Texas could be another player that fits the mold.

Regardless, I see the Grizzlies leaning guard and forward in this draft.

Darryn Peterson has become polarizing with his situation at Kansas — injuries, playing time, sporadic availability, and everything that encompasses it. However, he’s such an elite prospect with the change of being a superstar 2-guard. He’s a legit three-level scorer. The volume and accuracy on his three-point shot is mesmerizing. His driving and playmaking have been a bit disappointing at Kansas, but he can be hampered by injury. His pre-NCAA tape reflects a more lethal downhill presence as a playmaker, driver, and defender.

If the Grizzlies got the 1st pick, I’d even consider taking a play out of Boston’s playbook from the 2017 draft. They had the number one pick and traded down to three to acquire Jayson Tatum and an additional first-round pick. If a team really loves AJ Dybantsa or Peterson but is at the third pick, the Grizzlies could make this sort of trade to land Cameron Boozer. He’s unfairly not involved in discussions for the first pick, as the hype is around Dybantsa and Peterson. He should be at the forefront. He’s a basketball supercomputer that can dribble, pass, and shoot at a high level — coupled with brute strength to power downhill and crash the boards. He’s not a prolific rim protector, but he’s a smart player that can generate turnovers. He’s an S-tier problem-solver, and he’s going to produce winning basketball wherever he goes. He’s literally producing one of the most efficient seasons in college basketball history at 19 years old.

I’d be happy with any of the top-four between Peterson, Boozer, Dybantsa, and Caleb Wilson. If I were in the Grizzlies’ shoes, I’d be targeting Peterson or Boozer the most.

Let’s make the assumption of the range with picks 8 and 17. I’ll group the positions then rank the power forward and center ones.

Small Forwards: Nate Ament (Tennessee), Amari Allen (Alabama), Cameron Carr (Baylor), Tounde Yessoufou (Baylor), Dailyn Swain (Texas)

Power Forwards: Hannes Steinbach (Washington), Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan), Josh Jefferson (Iowa State), Morez Johnson (Michigan), Koa Peat (Arizona), Thomas Haugh (Florida)

Center: Jayden Quaintance (Kentucky), Patrick Ngongba (Duke), Flory Bidunga (Kansas), Aday Mara (Michigan)

Ranking the power forwards and centers 1-5 for the Grizzlies:

Steinbach

Lendeborg

Quaintance (the knee issues are spooking me)

Ngongba

Jefferson

Yes, I can totally see this happening. It’s hard to foresee the Grizzlies walking into the 2027 draft with three picks. Two important questions revolve around such a question though:

Is the difference between 5 and 8/9 large enough to warrant trading up with a future first-round pick?

Which team do they want to bet against for next season? They own the Lakers’ pick top-4 protected, then the best selection among Utah, Cleveland, and Minnesota. Whoever they are the lowest on next season, then the Grizzlies will likely keep that pick and move the other one to move up.

I can see this happening in some sort of capacity. Maybe, if the Grizzlies own the 8th or 9th pick, then they could trade up to 5 with this method. Then move back up with the Orlando/Phoenix pick to take on salary into the traded player exception to get back into the top-12.

Thank you for all the questions and for the constant support for SubTsakalidis.

Mailbag Part 1: NBA Draft, point guard conversations, potential risers

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