Ahead of the season, 62.4% of our poll respondents predicted Memphis would win under 29.5 games in 2026/27. But after Houston lost in Dallas on Friday, the young Grizzlies are now the only unbeaten team in the NBA, currently holding an unblemished 5-0 record.
Memphis’ win at Portland on Thursday was impressive for multiple reasons, writes Jason Quick of The Athletic (free link). The Grizzlies were facing a Trail Blazers club that entered the night 3-0, and Memphis thoroughly outplayed its opponent en route to a 21-point victory.
The hot start is all the more surprising given that Memphis tanked down the stretch of last season after trading away Jaren Jackson Jr. in February. Ja Morantthe last remaining member of the team’s former core, was dealt to Portland over the summer and suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain in Thursday’s loss.
“One, I think we are better than people give us credit for,” Cameron Boozer said, per Quick. “And two, it shows our toughness and competitiveness. That’s why we’ve won these first five games, because we are being tougher than the other team and more competitive.”
Luck was on the Grizzlies’ side in May, when they moved up to No. 3 in the draft lottery. They used that selection on former Duke star Boozer, who became the second-youngest player in league history to record a triple-double (18 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists) on Thursday, according to Law Murray of The Athletic (free link).
As Quick details, although they only won 25 games in 2025/26, several members of the team showed encouraging signs of growth, including All-Rookie selection Cedric Coward, Jaylen Wells, GG Jackson II and — in a small sample size because of injuries — Zach Edey and You Jeromethe reigning Western Conference Player of the Week.
“Even though we weren’t necessarily, like, winning games, we were in every game,” Jerome said. “And we were playing a lot of different guys, a lot of different groups. But we were in every game. And now, we’ve added Booz, Zach is healthy, I’m back healthy. We added Straw (Grant), Isaiah Stewartbrought everyone back … and I was like, ‘Oh, we got a good team.’ Like, I think everyone’s gonna find out what we have on the team.”
The Grizzlies’ depth has been a major strength early on. Head coach Tuomas Iisalo has been utilizing an 11-man rotation, which is unusual in the NBA, and the players know they have to play hard and execute to stay on the court, Quick writes.
According to Quick, this is only the second 5-0 start in Grizzlies franchise history, with the other resulting in a 55-win season back in 2014/15. Only two teams who started 5-0 have missed the playoffs in the past 30 years, Quick adds.
“The word I’ve used is promising,” Iisalo said. “It’s only the beginning of the season. We are five games in, we all understand it and anything can happen. But the way the group has persevered during these games … the word we use is poised … very resilient. We find an answer. And it’s been different guys on different nights. It’s just an incredibly cool feeling as a coach.”
We want to know what you think. Has Memphis’ strong start this fall changed your expectations for what the team is capable of this season? Do you think the Grizzlies will be the next young team to make an unexpected trip to the playoffs? Head to the comments section to weigh in.