Bold Predictions for the 2026/27 Memphis Grizzlies Season

And I'm going to get bold and say that the Memphis Grizzlies will sneak into the NBA playoffs this season. The Grizzlies got better, there is no denying that, and they have a deep, deep basketball team. The Grizzlies will be better than their 25-win season of last year, and there is no longer any incentive to tanking, but rather being as close to the playoffs as possible. The Grizzlies have a strong core in Boozer, Zach Edey, Cedric Coward and others. Beyond the top 5 teams in the West, the West is quite unpredictable. The Clippers, Kings, and Pelicans, are likely suitors to round out the bottom, and then from there who knows.

The Grizzlies can certainly be a ten seed in this conference and sneak into the playoffs, so that is my bold prediction.

Now for others here OnSi to get bold.

Landon Speck

"Grizzlies bold prediction: Memphis outperforms mass expectations and earns a Play-In Tournament birth.

The Memphis Grizzlies are widely expected to finish near the bottom of the Western Conference in 2026-27. However, I see upside on the roster to propel Memphis into the nine or ten seed and earn a spot in the Play-In Tournament.

Most of this depends on health, which is admittedly scary for the Grizzlies. If Zach Edey can stay healthy, a frontcourt duo of Edey and Cameron Boozer, along with Cedric Coward, could make Memphis one of the best rebounding teams in the league.

Offensively, a full season of Ty Jerome alongside Edey, with Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cam Spencer off the bench at guard, could produce surprisingly good output. Tuomas Iisalo’s offense is predicated on guards and bigs working in pick-and-roll. With Jerome, Pippen, and Edey injured for most of last season, Iisalo never got to unlock the full version of his system.

With better health, Boozer producing as expected right away, and leaps from Coward and Edey, the Grizzlies could certainly compete with the teams in the play-in mix."

Tony Mejia

"The Grizzlies can make the playoffs as the No. 10 seed if Cam Boozer is effective and meshes nicely with Zach Edey, who has to play over 65 games in order for a play-in spot to be realistic. If Tuomas Iisalo plays his top guys conventional minutes and doesn't rely on rotations that again resemble hockey line shifts, Memphis could surprise. If the Grizzlies fail miserably and players can't sustain a rhythm due to his substitution patterns, he shouldn't make it through the season."