Bold talk is cheap in the NBA, but Cameron Boozer did not exactly whisper this one. The third pick in the 2026 NBA Draft said the Memphis Grizzlies will be “shockingly good” in 2026-27, and that is the sort of line that instantly resets the conversation around a franchise that went 25-57 last season and lost 21 of its last 23 games.
On the face of it, that sounds wildly optimistic. Memphis was a team in transition after the coaching change that installed Tuomas Iisalo and the reshaping of the core by Zach Kleiman in 2025. A 25-57 record does not disappear just because a promising rookie arrives with confidence and a polished quote. But Boozer’s point is not hard to understand: the Grizzlies are young, they have pieces, and they are heading into 2026-27 with a roster that is supposed to look very different from the one that unravelled down the stretch.
The optimism is real, but so are the questions
Boozer, fresh off leading Duke to the Elite Eight and sweeping major national player of the year honors, described Memphis as a team people do not fully appreciate yet. He said the group is coming in with a chance to surprise people, and that there is something “pretty special” about the roster being built. That is a fair sales pitch. It is also the kind of thing that only works if the on-court product starts backing it up quickly.
The Grizzlies are expected to rely on Boozer, Zach Edey, Cedric Coward and Jaylen Wells in 2026-27, and that is where the real argument begins. There is no shortage of intrigue here. There is youth. There is size. There is upside. There is also the obvious reality that young teams often talk like a breakthrough is inevitable right up until they hit the first rough patch and discover how much harder winning is when everyone is watching.
Jaren Jackson Jr sits right at the center of that tension. If Memphis is going to be more than a fun talking point, it needs its established talent to set the tone and make the young core make sense. A “shockingly good” season does not come from hope alone. It comes from structure, health and players who can actually carry pressure when the schedule turns nasty. That is why Boozer’s prediction is so interesting: it is not just a compliment to the roster, it is a challenge to the franchise’s credibility.
Memphis drafted Ja Morant in 2019 to start one era. The 2026-27 group looks like the next attempt to define one. Boozer may be right that people are underrating the Grizzlies. But right now, that is still a promise, not a proof point. And in the NBA, promises are everywhere. Production is what matters.
