25 days to the NBA: Memphis Grizzlies leave behind the Ja Morant era and start a new chapter with Cam Boozer

== sync, corrected by elderman == @elder_man

Which led to the general casting change

When Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama guided the Grizzlies to the playoffs earlier in the decade, the Memphis team had a clear identity.[citation needed] With no future prospects on that basis however, the board used the last year to dismantle it and gained promising assets from Desmond Bane's and Jaron Jackson Jr.'s trades as well as Aldama in the offseason, and even got rid of Morant's contract.

The road to here has been bumpy. Last season, the team flirted with a playoff berth early on, but an injury shower toppled their pretensions: Ty Jerome played in just 15 games, Zach Edey 11 and Ja Morant 20. In all, the Grizzlies used 33 athletes this season.

The cast starts from scratch

Cameron Boozer (left wing, 3rd pick) and Karim Lopez (right wing, 21st pick) are coming in for the draft, along with Isaiah Stewart (Pistons), Jerami Grant and Kris Murray (Trail Blazers), D'Angelo Russell (Wizards), Jordan Hawkins and Micah Peavy (Pelicans) and Quinten Post (Warriors).

Likely headliner: Ty Jerome, Jaylen Wells, Cedric Coward, Cam Boozer and Zach Edey almost all the big men are newcomers. Coach Tuomas Iisalo, in his second full season, now has a practically new roster to recreate the style that the old system based on few pick'n rolls no longer supported.

The pillars of the new era

Cam Boozer is here . "Versatility is the name of the game. I can make shortcuts, like I can also carry the ball. They can put me in a lot of different scenarios", said the freshman, inspired by last year's champion New York Knicks.

Ty Jerome , please . It was only 15 games, but great: 19.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 42% of three in just 22 minutes offensive efficiency by possession behind only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic. Zach EdeyHe also needs to stay healthy: when his ankle gave way, he had almost 2 stumpings and 0.6 steals in 25 minutes.

Keep an eye still on Cedric Coward (13.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.8 assists as a freshman but ranging from 40% to 20% of three over the season) and in Mexican I'm not sure.The 19-year-old, who comes from the Australian league and could become Mexico's biggest star in the NBA to date, only Eduardo Nájera represented his country prominently from 2001-2012.

What's at stake

The Grizzlies will have three first-round picks in the upcoming draft: their own, that of the Lakers (if not top 4) and the best among Jazz, Cavs and Timberwolves (if it is not top 5). With this, the franchise can accelerate renewal or use them to trade for more talent.

Optimism is in order: Boozer, Wells, Coward, Scotty Pippen Jr., GG Jackson, Walter Clayton and Hawkins form an interesting young base with quality veterans such as Jerome, Grant and Stewart.

Guesses and Expectations

In the optimistic scenario, with a healthy cast and Boozer giving up early, Memphis battles for the West's play-in. In the pessimistic one, Iisalo suffers to manage so many youngsters and the team bitter another season of irregularity. The degree of appeal to the viewer is at 2.5 (from 1 to 5): it may not be the most exciting team in the league, but you should stop every now and then to follow the beginning of this new story.

Note: This analysis is an editorial opinion based on public data and does not guarantee any results.