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“Ja’s not there anymore or Jaren Jackson” – LeBron James weighs in on Grizzlies' stunning turnaround
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- “Ja’s not there anymore or Jaren Jackson” – LeBron James weighs in on Grizzlies' stunning turnaround
As the Western Conference becomes increasingly competitive in the 2026-27 season, several teams boast rosters with three or four players capable of making the All-Star team. For some franchises, simply reaching the Play-In Tournament was expected to be the ceiling, and the Memphis Grizzlies were among them.
However, Memphis has shocked the league through the opening two weeks of the season. The Grizzlies are 6-2 and rank among the top in both offensive and defensive ratings.
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And LeBron James believes he knows exactly what is allowing them to outperform expectations.
"They just play hard as s–t. They don't really have a guy who would want the ball in his hands all the time. A guy (with) that super high usage. Ty is doing that right now, and he's a very good player, but Ja's not there anymore, or Jaren Jackson; they're not there anymore," James said on the "Mind The Game" podcast.
"So I think their coach has looked at their roster and understood that in the wild, wild West, if we want to survive or we want to be able to match up with these teams, the best way to do it is to stay fresh as much as possible throughout a 48-minute game."
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The Grizzlies are incredibly scary
Cameron Boozer has made an impressive start to the season, averaging 17.7 points, a team-high 10.3 rebounds, and 5.6 assists over his first seven appearances.
However, Ty Jerome's scoring has taken the Grizzlies' early-season success to another level.
Across his six appearances, "Milk" is leading the team with 28.6 points per game, including two 40-point performances, while also averaging a career-high 1.2 steals per game.
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What makes his production even more remarkable is that Jerome had never averaged even 13.0 points per game in a season in which he appeared in at least 30 games.
This year, however, he is playing a career-high 31.0 minutes per contest and attempting a career-high 18.8 field goals per game. Despite the increased workload, he is shooting 42.1 percent from the three-point line and over 50.0 percent from the field, showing impressive efficiency.
That said, Jerome's scoring has been a major factor in Memphis' fast start, but the team isn't relying on him alone.
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In fact, three other Grizzlies players (Jaylen Wells, Isaiah Stewart, and Cedric Coward) are also averaging more than 12.0 points per game, giving the team multiple offensive options instead of forcing it to rely on one primary scorer.
Memphis is keeping it real
NBA fans have seen several superstar-less teams exceed expectations early in a season, but as the business end arrives, overconfidence sets in; however, LeBron does not believe that will necessarily happen with this Grizzlies team
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Instead, King James explained that Coach Tuomas Iisalo's team understands its limitations and has identified exactly how it can compete with more talented opponents, wholeheartedly embracing its identity.
"Maybe we can't match them with the talent, but we can match them with the speed and mess them with the depth and match them with the intensity that we're going to play at," the four-time MVP concluded.
Safe to say the Grizzlies aren't just looking to enjoy a strong start before falling back into the pack; they want to establish themselves as a legitimate title threat. It remains to be seen if they can continue this momentum when they face teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, and Minnesota Timberwolves by mid-November.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Nov 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
