Grizzlies fans won’t have to wait until opening night of the NBA season to see a couple of their key players in action on the court.
Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama have some global basketball business to attend to first.
“We’re going for that gold, and then it’s all about that (championship) ring thing, you feel me?” Jackson explained. “We can’t wait to lock in back home in Memphis when we get back.”
While Jackson (USA) and Aldama (Spain) prepare for their final weekend of tune-up games with their respective national teams ahead of next week’s start of the FIBA World Cup, they now also know when their next mission begins again as Grizzlies teammates.
The NBA’s composite schedule was released Thursday, with the Grizzlies set to open their season on Oct. 25 at home against the New Orleans Pelicans. Memphis plays eight of its first 14 games on the road, and the early slate presents plenty of challenges and opportunities for a team that will be in transition through the initial months of the 2023-24 season.
That process begins when training camp opens in early October. The Grizzlies will face the first 25 games without superstar point guard Ja Morant, who will serve an NBA-mandated, 25-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the league.
In his first four seasons on the bench, coach Taylor Jenkins banked on continuity as the Grizzlies developed into one of the NBA’s most productive young teams. There’s another ‘C’ word that will define the Grizzlies plight entering Jenkins’ fifth season: change.
There are changes in the coaching staff, with former top assistant Darko Rajakovic moving on to become head coach of the Toronto Raptors. And there are changes within the roster, with the addition of key veterans Marcus Smart and Derrick Rose to boost a team that’s made three straight trips to the playoffs and posted the second-best record in the West the past two years.
But there are no changes when it comes to the franchise’s championship aspirations.
“We always have to push ourselves,” Jenkins said of the motivations entering the upcoming season. “In what ways can we get better as an organization, as a staff, as a team, as individuals collectively pushing for the same goal? We’ve done some great things. But how can we not be satisfied, and get even better? You always want to build and keep getting better year after year.”
After setting a franchise record with an NBA-best 36-5 mark at home last season, the Grizzlies are thriving for another strong season at FedExForum.
Here’s my annual schedule-release look at ‘5 Can’t Miss’ home games for the 2023-24 season.
Oct. 27: Nuggets at Grizzlies
The Grizzlies won’t have to wait long to measure themselves against Finals MVP Nikola Jokic and the defending NBA champs. Two days after the season opener, Memphis welcomes the only team that finished ahead of it in the West standings last season. The two squads work from a similar developmental blueprint, and the Nuggets finally got their breakthrough to their franchise’s first title. The Grizzlies, when healthy, don’t see themselves as too far behind.
Nov. 19: Celtics at Grizzlies
Let’s get one thing clear up front. The deepest set of emotions probably won’t hit Marcus Smart until the Grizzlies visit Boston Garden much later in the season on Feb. 4. But this will be the Celtics’ lone visit to Memphis this season, meaning it’s the first time Smart faces the only other franchise he’s suited up for in his nine years in the league. Many in Boston weren’t exactly ready to let him go, but Smart will settle into a new role and purpose with the Grizzlies.
Dec. 21: Pacers at Grizzlies
On the surface, this doesn’t jump out as anything special on a Thursday night four days before Christmas. But this lines up as potentially Ja Morant’s first home game coming off suspension. Technically, Morant could make his return the previous game on the road in New Orleans, a game TNT picked up as the Grizzlies’ first true nationally televised game on the schedule. After that, Ja comes to FedExForum for his long-awaited return in front of the home crowd.
Jan. 15: Warriors at Grizzlies
Rivalry or not, when the Warriors and Grizzlies get together, there’s always fireworks leading up to the game and on the court. There’s just a mutual level of respect between these two teams after meeting in the postseason two of the past three years. The Grizzlies host Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson on arguably the most impactful day of Memphis’ season as the MLK Day Celebration Game, warranting the national spotlight for all the right reasons.
Mar. 27: Lakers at Grizzlies
Count Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane among the Grizzlies who simply refuse to dismiss the pain they felt after falling to the Lakers in the first round of last season’s playoffs as the No. 2 seed. That pain and disappointment, according to many on the team, is driving the Grizzlies entering the upcoming season. LeBron James and Co. rode their first-round victory all the way to conference finals. This will be the first of two visits from the Lakers over a span of 10 games.