MEMPHIS – Halloween night remains a few weeks away, but the terms the Grizzlies are using to reference just how spooky they intend to be defensively this season ring a familiar tone.
Entering Monday’s preseason opener, there’s talk of skeletons and haunted homes.
“When we start out, we should already have the skeletons in place for what we want to do in all phases of the game,” coach Tuomas Iisalo insisted. “We’ll use that for further evaluation of where we go with next steps. So, the game really serves as a guide for how to direct the practices from there.”
That skeleton will be built on the foundational structure of a relentless defense. And that system is predicated on pressuring and running opponents out of FedExForum, never wishing to return.
“We intend to be aggressive, we’re going to be annoying on defense, picking up full-court and making sure there’s no letup at any second of the game,” forward Jaylen Wells vowed. “When teams play us, they’re going to go home and be like, ‘Hey, I don’t want to play them again.’”
After establishing that mindset in last week’s training camp, the Grizzlies carry those objectives into their five-game preseason slate that starts Monday at FedExForum against the Pistons.
It’s the first test of Iisalo’s system, which remains a methodical work in progress as the Grizzlies acclimate a handful of newcomers to the rotation while coping with some key injury absences.
The team’s full defensive prowess won’t be displayed until 2023 league Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. (toe), 2025 NBA All-Rookie Team selection Zach Edey (ankle) and veteran forward Brandon Clarke (knee) return from their respective rehabs after the start of the season.
But for now, the Grizzlies are relying on a versatile collection of ball-hawking guards and lengthy wings to set the tone for an attacking system that generates turnovers and transition offense. The intent is to reverse some disturbing trends that haunted Memphis last season when it sputtered down the stretch after reaching as high as second in the West standings in February.
Iisalo was promoted to interim coach in late March after Taylor Jenkins was dismissed with nine games remaining in the season. But by then, Iisalo was limited in how much he could tweak the play on either end of the court as the Grizzlies were ultimately swept in the first round of the playoffs by the eventual NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
During the offseason, the roster was retooled to prioritize more playmaking ball-handlers and perimeter defenders with size, length and athleticism.
Wells, who joined Edey on the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team last season, was considered the Grizzlies’ best perimeter defender soon after emerging as a starter. Scotty Pippen Jr. also blossomed late in the season as a legitimate two-way player who started in the playoffs alongside franchise catalyst Ja Morant.
Memphis ranked third-worst in the NBA in turnovers last season, which created plenty of transition scoring opportunities for opponents. That problem largely contributed to a defense that ranked 24th in the league in points allowed at 116.9 per game.
Turning that around was among the reasons the front office dealt scoring guard Desmond Bane to Orlando in exchange for veteran defensive-oriented wing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The Grizzlies also parlayed that deal into a move that allowed them to trade into the NBA Draft lottery in June to select compelling swingman Cedric Coward with the No. 11 overall pick.
Wells, Pippen, Caldwell-Pope, Coward, rookie second round pick Javon Small and returning wing defender Vince Williams Jr. drove the competitive spirit in training camp practices to the verge of chaos and conflict. They can now shift their collective energy to targets in opposing jerseys.
“It’s been a lot of trash-talking, but good and healthy because guys are out there competing for jobs, trying to make each other better,” Pippen Jr. said. “It’s been super intense. I’ve even talked to Kenny about it, who’s been around a while, and he’s like, ‘Yeah, that was intense.’”
Initially in the preseason, expect the defensive energy to be ahead of the offensive efficiency. Iisalo said after Sunday’s practice that all players who emerged healthy from training camp would be available Monday. But the plan is to gradually build the preseason workload of Morant and other veterans leading into the Oct. 22 regular-season opener against the Pelicans.
Not every primary rotation player is expected to see action in all five exhibition games. Morant, after tweaking his ankle during Sunday’s practice, will not play Monday. He is considered week-to-week.
“There’s still so much work to be done,” said Coward, set for his Grizzlies’ preseason debut after shoulder surgery limited him to only six games at Washington State last season. “I’m going against Ja and learning every day. It’s definitely getting me better for when the games come. You’re going to defend guys that, with all due respect, are less everything than Ja. So my focus is to make plays, guard my tail off and do whatever I can to have an impact on winning. We’re trying to be one step ahead of each team from the very first opportunity.”
Iisalo won’t necessarily have to rebuild from scratch on the defensive end of the court. With the exception of a historically injury-plagued 2023-24 season, Memphis has ranked among the NBA’s leaders in total blocks, steals and deflections over the past four years.
The defensive DNA is there.
So are the collective bones of an aggressively forming and soon to be swarming skeleton.
“We can be great defensively,” said Caldwell-Pope, a top perimeter defender on NBA title teams with the Lakers in 2020 and Nuggets in 2023. “That’s first and foremost. If we can start off like that from Day 1, our mindset will change quickly. These young guys are hungry, and they’ve been getting after it all summer. If we defend like we’ve been defending in camp, it’s going to take us a long way.”
The potential is there for a frighteningly lethal defense.