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The end of the 2024-25 regular season was not too kind to the Memphis Grizzlies. Facing immense pressure to compete in the stacked Western Conference, the Grizzlies decided to shake things up, firing Taylor Jenkins, their head coach of over half a decade, and giving assistant coach Tuomas Iisalo interim duties. But this did not give the Grizzlies the bounce they needed, as they won just four of their nine games under Iisalo and fell to the NBA play-in tournament as a result.
And after the Golden State Warriors lost to the Los Angeles Clippers, 124-119, in an overtime thriller on Sunday, the Grizzlies are now set to battle Stephen Curry and company on Tuesday night for the right to face the Houston Rockets in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
The Warriors took three out of four games from the Grizzlies this past season, although the lone win Memphis had over Golden State was when they blew them out by 51 points. Alas, that was a different Warriors team then, as they did not have Jimmy Butler yet.
But in a single-game format, anything can happen. The Grizzlies will have to lock in, particularly on defense, as they prepare to visit a Warriors team that will be raring to redeem themselves after blowing a golden opportunity to seal an outright playoff spot after losing to a Harrison Barnes game-winner last week.
With that said, here are a few bold predictions for the Grizzlies and how they will fare against the Warriors in their looming 7/8 play-in tournament matchup.
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Zach Edey comes up huge
The Warriors have been a team that has prioritized skill over size over the past decade or so. And in the aftermath of the Jimmy Butler trade, the Warriors have settled on Draymond Green as their starting center. Green is an elite defender even now that he's 35 years of age, and he has emerged as the favorite to win the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year award for a reason.
But Green is still 6'6″, and he can only do so much on defense. The Warriors, on their worst nights, cannot control the glass, which is something the Grizzlies will have to exploit. Enter Zach Edey.
Edey is a throwback big man who would have thrived in the 1990s. He has deft touch around the basket, and he's more mobile than everyone gives him credit for. But at the end of the day, he is a lumbering big man who prefers to do his damage near the hoop, and the Warriors have made life hell for players like Edey when they bring out his man to do dribble handoffs to a player like Stephen Curry, who can then waltz into open triples.
During the Grizzlies' most recent matchup against the Warriors, Curry popped off for 52 points on 12 made triples; this is the vulnerability that the Grizzlies must shield themselves from, and the easiest path to doing so is playing Jaren Jackson Jr. at the five for extended minutes.
However, Edey has utility in the Warriors matchup. He hauled in 16 boards during their last matchup, and he can take up so much space on the interior, giving Grizzlies multiple chances at a basket. Ivica Zubac showed on Sunday that a more traditional center can still survive the Warriors matchup, as long as he does his damage on the glass and scores efficiently.
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While Edey is nowhere near the player Zubac is, he can still pop off for the occasional huge game. And for the Grizzlies to upset the Warriors on the road, the 22-year-old rookie must channel the Purdue version of himself and dominate inside.
Grizzlies hold down Stephen Curry to less than 20 points
After Stephen Curry went off for 52 in their last matchup, the Grizzlies will be reconfiguring their defensive setup against the Warriors star. They will be throwing multiple defenders at Curry at all times, especially when their best perimeter defender, Jaylen Wells, is out for the season, and in turn, they will be forcing the Warriors star to be more of a passer.
Limiting Curry will be the Grizzlies' number one task, and holding him down to less than 20 points, while near-impossible, will be their key to victory. Memphis would much rather give those shots to the Dubs' supporting cast instead of being on the receiving end of another monster outing from the greatest shooter of all-time.
Jaren Jackson Jr. avoids foul trouble
There is no question that Jaren Jackson Jr. is an elite defender, an exceptionally versatile big man who can defend the perimeter all the while being one of the most fearsome shot-blockers in the association. Jackson, however, is sometimes undisciplined on that end of the floor. He gets all handsy and finds himself in foul trouble, handicapping the Grizzlies.
He led the league in personal fouls this past season, with 257, and against the Warriors, him being in foul trouble will mean death. Santi Aldama struggles defensively at times (Desmond Bane even called him out for this) while Zach Edey is much more vulnerable to the Warriors' pace-and-space attack.
Jackson, to his credit, will be on his best behavior (foul-wise) on Tuesday night as the Grizzlies look to avoid the difficult first-round matchup that is the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Ja Morant goes off for 35+ points in Grizzlies victory
Ja Morant is once again the talk of the town in the NBA for his flamboyant celebrations that many deem questionable due to his past behaviors. Perhaps this could be a major distraction for a Grizzlies team that cannot afford any major slip-ups at the moment. But Morant appears to have learned from his past mistakes and will be ready to lock in on Tuesday, dropping at least 35 points in a stunning upset of the Warriors.
Morant is coming off a 36-point outing in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and in his last matchup against the Warriors, he scored the same number of points as well. And the Grizzlies will need every bit of his contributions as they earn the seven-seed.
