Will the Grizzlies’ wing rotation be playoff-ready by springtime? If not, should they look to the next month’s trade market for help?

Holly Whitfield of the “I Love Memphis” blog will join The Daily Memphian in February as its digital director, leading a team of seven digital producers and two content creators. 

Jaren Jackson Jr. was a force on both ends of the floor in the Grizzlies’ win over the Magic on Thursday night. His 31 points were the most he has scored since the NBA bubble in July of 2020.

Related stories:

Box score: Grizzlies 123, Magic 115

Grizzlies Insider: Memphis is title favorite according to one metric

When complete, it’s expected to generate $4 million in wages for 70 employees. 

Cooper Haynes and Natalie Bryant are named The Daily Memphian’s boys and girls basketball players of the week.

They say that college football is a religion in the South. Does that mean that ministers are its podcasters? Meet Geoff Mitchell, the senior minister at Lindenwood Christian Church, who also hosts a popular podcast about TCU football. 

Baptist Memorial Health Care provided an early look Thursday at its new free-standing emergency department in Arlington near the Interstate 40 exit.

The Tigers have now replaced two of the three assistant coaches who were not retained following the 2022 season. Memphis has already hired wide receivers coach Larry Smith in place of David Glidden.

With a new set of election days looming in DeSoto County, officials are looking at new equipment, new voting locations and hoping to increase pay for poll workers.

Mike Allen, the Botanic Garden’s executive director, joined Eric Barnes on this week’s episode of The Sidebar to talk about all the different aspects of the Botanic Garden and plans for expansion.

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland called the development — the latest in the city’s efforts over the last year to force renovations at Peppertree — “great news.”

Memphis Museum Inc., which manages MoSH, Lichterman Nature Center, the Magevney House and the Mallory-Neely House, will operate as an independent entity under a new, still-developing contract with the City of Memphis.

Queen of Sheba Imperial Restaurant recently opened in Cordova and offers, in addition to an extensive menu, a hearty $10 deal with its shawarma platter. 

As of Thursday morning, FiveThirtyEight gives Memphis a 31% chance to make the Finals and an 18% chance to win the championship. 

The case for building a bigger local jail, adding more judges and courtrooms, and changing how bail is handled.

This week, manifest your dreams with a vision board, or learn the arts of mindfulness and origami. Plus, Lisa Marie Presley will be in town for Elvis’ birthday weekend.

Christian Gilliland of Northpoint and Aaliyah Converse of St. George’s sit atop this week’s charts. Check out all the scoring leaders and records for the top Memphis-area boys and girls teams.

The former basketball coach molded the lives of his players while building the Gryphons’ program into a state power.

Improvements are planned to help mitigate traffic concerns near Topgolf Memphis.

Ja Morant and the Grizzlies outwitted and outplayed the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night. 

Related story:

Box score: Grizzlies 131, Hornets 107

A 22-year-old got into a fight with a 17-year-old at a pickup basketball game. Why does TMZ care? Because the 22-year-old was Ja Morant. 

Related story:

DA’s office not pursuing criminal charges in alleged Ja Morant assault

“It’s hard for me to go to the grocery store or a restaurant or church without somebody approaching me, expressing concern about juvenile crime,” said Bill Gibbons, president of the Crime Commission. “People are upset about it in this community.”

Bartlett Planning Commission endorses residential aspects of Union Depot, the development planned for the former Tennessee Baptist Children’s Home.

The co-founder of the People’s Convention said on The Daily Memphian’s “On The Record” podcast a 2023 edition of the gathering could serve to whittle down the field in this year’s race for Memphis mayor. Meanwhile state House District 86 contenders clashed Tuesday, Jan. 3, at a community forum.

With a brand new year stretching ahead of us, it’s good to have a plan, nice to have a wish list, and as a little luck can’t hurt, either.