The Memphis Grizzlies’ 2025-26 train has finally reached the final station — even if it seems as if all the original passengers evaporated way back on the tracks. <\/p>\n
Just one game left: in Houston, against a Rockets team that is locked into the fifth seed in the West, and likely won’t be playing many regulars. Of course, the Grizzlies don’t have any regulars anymore; they played just six players in a staggering 147-101 Utah Jazz squad that has also been tanking for weeks, even before Memphis went full intentional freefall. <\/p>\n
Starting lineups for Grizzles – Jazz \ud83d\ude2c pic.twitter.com\/de73t3wuhE<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n So what’s in play now for Memphis? <\/p>\n Currently, they sit in the sixth spot in the Tankathon standings<\/a>, tied with Dallas — with an 8.3% chance of the No. 1 overall pick and a 34.4% chance of landing in the top four. Lose the game and, due to tiebreakers, the Grizzlies will stay there. Win, and if Dallas loses (the Mavericks are playing a Bulls team that also benefits from losing to stay “behind” the Milwaukee Bucks for 9th in the Tankathon standings), and the Grizzlies will slip to seventh in the lottery. <\/p>\n It wouldn’t be that dramatic a mistake, only because the odds of getting in the top 1 or top 4 aren’t all that different between the sixth and seventh slots; but still, the Grizzlies have come this far, losing seven straight and 20 of 22 overall. <\/p>\n Might as well close the deal. <\/p>\n The Grizzlies will enter the offseason with the potential for two first-round lottery picks — due to a complicated arrangement that involves the Phoenix Suns — and with future draft capital from the Jazz and the Orlando Magic due to the Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. trades. So there’s hope. And maybe Zach Edey will heal, at last, to anchor the defense; and maybe the Ja Morant situation will be resolved positively, whether he stays or (more likely) goes. <\/p>\n But for now, try to find amusement in a team that’s trying to lose without getting penalized for doing so, as other NBA organizations (like the Jazz and Pacers) have been this season. <\/p>\n The Memphis Grizzlies\u2019 shortest player in the starting lineup is their center\u2026<\/p>\n PG – Lucas Williamson (6\u20195) \u2014 \u1d04\u1d0f\u029f\u1d07 (@CREAMYCOLE) April 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n It’s like watching kids try to grab the crumbs of cookies from the jar without the teacher — in this case, Adam Silver — catching them. And hold onto these names, from Adama Bal to Lucas Williamson to Dariq Whitehead — tightly, as answers to future trivia questions, about who was left by the end. <\/p>\n
SG – Dariq Whitehead (6\u20196)
SF – Toby Omani (6\u20198)
PF – Adama Bal (6\u20197)
\u2026\u2026
C – Jahmai Mashack (6\u20194) pic.twitter.com\/8gX4AyGBOL<\/a><\/p>\n