Herrington: 8 storylines for Memphis Grizzlies training camp
Memphis Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo yells during the second half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks on April 18. (George Walker IV/AP file)
Chris Herrington
Chris Herrington has covered the Memphis Grizzlies, in one way or another, since the franchise’s second season in Memphis, while also writing about music, movies, food and civic life. As far as he knows, he’s the only member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association who is also a member of a film critics group and has also voted in national music critic polls for Rolling Stone and the Village Voice (RIP). He and his wife have two kids and, for reasons that sometimes elude him, three dogs.
On Monday, the Memphis Grizzlies won’t quite take their places for the opening toss of the 2025-2026 season but will at least begin their warmups.
After an opening media session in Memphis, the team will hit the Music Highway for a three-day training camp in Nashville. (Don’t worry, Zach Edey will not be driving the team bus.)
There are abundant questions, and 82 games (give or take some preseason and post-season) will provide the answers. But the educated guesswork and investigation starts now. Here are eight storylines to watch in the coming weeks.
The Tuomas Iisalo era (officially) begins
Ja Morant may be making them watch these days, but when Grizzlies training camp opens, all eyes will be on new head coach Iisalo.
The composed Finnish import got a taste of the top job late last season when, as he reminded us, he was thrown into the deep end for 15 games that included only two practices.
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