Yahoo Sports senior NBA analyst Kevin O’Connor and Yahoo Sports NBA contributor Tom Haberstroh discuss how Memphis – behind Rookie of the Year candidate Cameron Boozer and other strong young talent – may be a surprising team to watch this season. Check out the full conversation on “The Kevin O’Connor Show” and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
There’s a lot of signal here that the Memphis Grizzlies are the biggest sleeper team in the NBA, and you took them here at the number five slot, and I’m super jealous.
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I think Zach Edey, you talk about on court, off court, like you said.
This team could be, the Detroit Pistons, where they are just like, out of nowhere they come out and become a really good team.
Now, I think the odds are still long that that happens, but with Ty Jerome, if he’s healthy, Zach Edey, if he’s healthy, that to me is already a winning outfit.
Like, they’ve got enough wings on this team that they can fill in.
But if Ty Jerome, you can peg him for 70 games and Zach Edey for 70 games, which we can’t really do, because of the foot issues that Zach Edey has had.
But man, I love the Memphis Grizzlies this year.
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You know how much of a fan I am of Cam Boozer, who I think is gonna run away with Rookie of the Year and, like you said, threaten for an All-Star spot.
I think even right away, even though he’s the youngest guy in the draft class, I love Cam Boozer, Cedric Howard.
He’s, he’s 23 years old.
He is not a, a your normal sophomore player.
You know him as well as anybody.
R- just looking at and talking with him, this guy is an adult in the room.
And coming into this year, I have high hopes for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Very much high hopes for Memphis.
A- and, and I think for them this year, I, I mentioned earlier in passing how Washington, I decided to take them over Memphis ’cause I think with Memphis you, you’d love to be in that kinda four to 10 spot in the lottery this year, more so than I think making aggressive trades to make the postseason.
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I think Tur- Washington is one of those teams, which I’m factoring in is, is more likely to try to make a trade to bolster their playoff odds.
But Memphis definitely, even without trades, I think just by being young and fun and on, on the rise, I think that could be enough for them to make the postseason.
