The Memphis Grizzlies and the host Utah Jazz will be dealing with some familiar issues when they open the 2024-25 NBA season on Wednesday in Salt Lake City.
A youth movement will be the Jazz’s central theme for another season, while injuries are once again affecting the Grizzlies.
Though Memphis welcomes back Ja Morant after the star point guard was limited last year by a 25-game suspension and a season-ending shoulder injury, the team will start this season without key contributor Jaren Jackson Jr., who is sidelined by a hamstring injury.
Memphis players missed an NBA-high 578 total player games due to injury last season. Along with Jackson’s absence, the Grizzlies will be without guard Luke Kennard (foot), forward GG Jackson (foot), guard Vince Williams Jr. (shin) and guard Cam Spencer (ankle) as the regular season gets underway.
“We’ll have 12 guys going into that first night and we’ll see what we’re willing to roll out there versus the Jazz,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said, per the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
A healthy Memphis team is anticipated to be among the Western Conference playoff contenders. ESPN.com ranks the Grizzlies as the 11th-best NBA team, projecting them to 44.4 wins and a playoff likelihood of 69.3 percent.
The team drafted big man Zach Edey with the ninth overall pick, and he’s expected to play a big role in his first season. Guards Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart also figure to play important roles for Memphis.
The Jazz have a strong leader in power forward Lauri Markkanen. Though the 27-year-old has several veterans around him in Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, John Collins and Utah newcomer Patty Mills, the team has vocalized that its youth movement is a high priority.
Utah has six players less than 23 years old: Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, Brice Sensabaugh, Cody Williams, Isaiah Collier and Kyle Filipowski.
“There’s going to be opportunities where it’s going to look different,” Jazz general manager Justin Zanik said. “Our growth is going to come from developing our talent base so that we can win more games now and in the future. That doesn’t happen overnight.
“But what’s important about development is playing,” he continued. “I think there’s going to be multiple opportunities for more young guys to play this year because we simply have more young guys as part of our rotation. So it’s going to look different.”
Utah had one of the least efficient defenses in the NBA last season, allowing 120.5 points a game (tied for 28th). Opposing teams shot a league-high 39.5 percent from 3-point range, so improvement on that side of the court is critical for long-term success.
The Jazz, projected to win just 33 games with only a 2.7 percent chance of making the playoffs per ESPN.com, are in their third season of a rebuilding project after trading away Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert in 2022. They secured Markkanen for the long haul this offseason, signing him to a five-year, $238-million extension.
“As the coach, when the best player on the team wants to be here, he wants to be in Utah, he believes in what we’re doing … it’s big for us, because it also helps our ecosystem function,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “But I think more than anything, it just shows that Lauri is committed to the Jazz, committed to Utah, and he really believes in what we’re doing.”
