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5 Grizzlies Players Fighting for Bigger Roles in 2026-27
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- 5 Grizzlies Players Fighting for Bigger Roles in 2026-27
(Brett Davis-Imagn Images)
The Memphis Grizzlies have an impressive collection of talented young players. These five will be fighting for bigger roles in 2026-27.
Frankly, there are only three players on this roster who can count on their roles: star rookie Cameron Boozer, big man Zach Edey, and young wing Cedric Coward. They're the indisputable "core" of the Grizzlies. Everyone else is either a veteran who could be traded or a young player with something to prove.
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But these five have more to prove than others.
GG Jackson II
Jackson II is a strange case. He's unlikely to carve out a long-term spot as a role player. Jackson II's profile is more boom or bust.
The 2025-26 season proved it. Jackson II's 33.2% shooting from long range was a career low, but his 59.4% true shooting percentage was a career high.
This is not a player who wants to space the floor. What makes Jackson II interesting is his ability to create his own shot at 6-foot-9. Those are star qualities, but he needs to improve as a playmaker and/or defender if he's going to earn a larger role in 2026-27.
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Memphis still has a lot to figure out with Jackson, even after picking up his team option .
Javon Small
Small was impressive in his 2025-26 rookie season, averaging 22.6 points and 8.6 assists per 100 possessions while shooting a scorching 42.3% from long range.
There's a reason why we're using his per-100 stats: Small played just 20.2 minutes per game for Memphis despite the team being in a rebuilding season and in need of a young point guard.
Small needs to prove that his 2025-26 production can be extrapolated over more minutes. In the process, he needs to prove that he's a sustainable defender despite his 6-foot-1 height.
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The next player on this list has the opposite problem.
Walter Clayton Jr.
Clayton can defend. At 6-foot-4, he has good positional size.
Can he score at the NBA level?
During his 2025-26 rookie year, it proved to be a difficult task. Clayton Jr. shot 30.7% from deep and 38.4% from the field. It's noteworthy that the Utah Jazz opted to trade him to Memphis during his rookie year.
There were encouraging signs after the move, enough that Clayton was named Memphis' top breakout candidate entering this season.
Clayton Jr. is a smart player. He's got the aforementioned size. If he can't score in half-court settings, those qualities will be moot. In 2026-27, he needs to prove that his rookie year was the exception rather than the rule.
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Memphis has already spent plenty of time evaluating whether Clayton can emerge as a long-term answer at point guard .
Karim López
It may seem counterintuitive to say a rookie is looking for a "bigger" role.
Fine:
López is fighting for a big role, period.
He should be looking to establish chemistry with Cameron Boozer. Any rookie is going to have struggles, but López needs to flash the type of potential that forces this organization to view him as a long-term rotational fixture.
Memphis invested a first-round pick in López after landing him at No. 21 in the 2026 NBA Draft , and even Kevin Garnett called him a "really big pickup" for the Grizzlies .
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Jaylen Wells
Wells is the most proven player on this list. Still, he'll be fighting for a bigger role by looking to establish that he's the Grizzlies' long-term starting 3. Wells should be fighting for 30 solid minutes per contest.
So far, he's averaging 26.1 minutes per game throughout his career. Improved 3-point shooting would go a long way toward bumping that number up.
Wells is shooting 35.3% from three throughout his career. That's barely acceptable given how much he offers on defense, but if he can bump it up, he'd be among the most reliable 3-and-D wings in the NBA.
That would be enough for him to win any fight for a bigger role.
