Grizzlies Roll Out Bizarre Starting Five Against Raptors
The Memphis Grizzlies are starting Ty Jerome, Anthony Coward, Jaylen Wells, Cameron Boozer, and Zach Edey on Monday, leaning on an unconventional lineup to bounce back from a blowout loss.
HotTakes Editorial TeamUpdated 2 min read
Finding live odds…
The Memphis Grizzlies are rolling out a starting five on Monday that sounds less like an NBA rotation and more like a randomly generated Pro-Am squad.
Underdog NBA reported the official lineup for the matchup against the Toronto Raptors: Ty Jerome, Anthony Coward, Jaylen Wells, Cameron Boozer, and Zach Edey. If you had that exact combination on your preseason bingo card, you are either a time traveler or a liar.
"Underdog NBA reported: 'Lineup alert: Grizzlies will start Jerome, Coward, Wells, Boozer, Edey on Monday.'"
The wildest part of this group is that Ty Jerome has somehow morphed into a legitimate offensive engine. He is currently leading Memphis with 26.6 points and 5.3 assists per game. He even dropped 45 points on the Utah Jazz late last month, which is the kind of stat line that makes you refresh the box score just to make sure it is not a typo.
Down low, the Grizzlies are leaning on sheer size and youth. Cameron Boozer is already yanking down a team-high 10 rebounds a night, and Zach Edey is out there to make sure nobody gets a clean look at the rim. Throw in Jaylen Wells, who is chipping in about 10 points a game, and you have a fascinating, if completely bizarre, basketball experiment.
Memphis is sitting at a respectable 6-3 in the Western Conference, but they desperately need to wash out the taste of Friday night. The Oklahoma City Thunder absolutely dismantled them 128-97, exposing some of the cracks in this unconventional roster.
For anyone staring at player props or setting daily fantasy lineups, Jerome is the obvious volume play here. He is getting the absolute green light to shoot, though you have to keep an eye on his minutes since he has been managing a right calf injury.
We will see if this chaotic starting five can get back in the win column north of the border. If they manage to run the Raptors out of their own gym, it might be time to stop laughing at the names on the floor and start taking this weird Memphis rotation seriously.
Key stats
Key statsTy Jerome averages a team-high 26.6 points and 5.3 assists per game.
Cameron Boozer leads the Grizzlies with 10.0 rebounds per game.
The Memphis Grizzlies hold a 6-3 record in the Western Conference.
What's next
The Grizzlies will test this starting five against the Toronto Raptors on Monday night, looking to bounce back from a blowout loss to the Thunder.
