Memphis Grizzlies 2024-2025 fantasy basketball season recap: Two ROY candidates offer hope for the future

NBC Sports

12-05-2025

While the NBA Playoffs are in full swing, now is a good time to recap the fantasy basketball season for all 30 teams.
In the following weeks, we will provide a recap for each team, starting with the team with the worst record and concluding with the NBA champion in June.
Today, we're doing a deep dive on a team that overachieved to start the season and finished on a sour note to close it out.
Memphis Grizzlies 2024-2025 Season Recap
Record: 48-34 (8th, West)
Offensive Rating: 117.2 (6th)
Defensive Rating: 112.6 (11th)
Net Rating: 4.7 (6th)
Pace: 103.69 (1st)
2025 NBA Draft Picks: 48th pick, 56th pick
After limping to a 27-55 finish in 2023-24 due to numerous injuries across the board, the Grizzlies roared back with a mostly healthy roster and hung around behind OKC as the second seed in the West for quite a while.
Eventually Memphis was overtaken in the standings and fell into the Play-In tournament in a crowded and competitive Western Conference. The Grizz made it to the postseason as the No. 8 seed and ran into a buzzsaw in the 68-win Thunder who promptly swept them.
Memphis fired head coach Taylor Jenkins shortly before the playoffs and hired Tuomas Iisalo as the new head coach after a brief stint as the interim coach.
Heading into the 2025-26 campaign, Memphis' biggest question is how far can Ja Morant take this team? The Grizzlies have a promising young core of Desmond Bane, Zach Edey, Jaylen Wells, Scotty Pippen Jr. and Jaren Jackson Jr., but is Morant the superstar and leader who can take them over the top, or is his - and the team's - ceiling limited?
Let's recap last season's fantasy performances and look ahead to 2025-26.
Fantasy Standout: Desmond Bane
Bane was Memphis' top-ranked fantasy option on a per-game basis, finishing 34th behind averages of 19.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.4 blocks and 2.4 triples. The sharpshooting wing shot 48.4% from the field, 89.4% from the charity stripe and 39.2% from beyond the arc, pushing for a 50/40/90 campaign.
Though Bane's points were his fewest in three seasons, his FG% was the most efficient mark of his career, and he still pushed for 20 points despite attempting only 14.8 shots. Of those shot attempts, only 6.1 were triples, marking Bane's lowest mark since his rookie season.
Though his scoring and triples were down, Bane set new career highs in rebounds and steals and nearly averaged 20/5/5 thanks to his strong contributions as a rebounder and facilitator. Those skills were on full display in a game against the Hawks on March 3 in which he racked up his first triple-double - a 35/10/10 masterclass.
Heading into his sixth season, there are plenty of reasons to be excited for Bane's fantasy outlook. He appeared in 69 games in 2024-25 after logging just 100 combined across the last two. He's taking steps forward as a do-it-all contributor and not just a three-point specialist, keeping him in the mid-round conversation for the foreseeable future.
Fantasy Revelation: Scotty Pippen Jr.
SPJ finished outside the top 150 in per-game fantasy value, but that was in large part due to his limited playing time throughout the season. Pippen Jr. averaged 9.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.1 triples across just 21.3 minutes per game. He logged 79 appearances after playing 27 games combined across his first two campaigns, joining in as a regular part of Memphis' rotation.
In 23 regular season starts, SPJ averaged 13.9 points, 4.4 boards, 5.5 dimes, 1.6 steals and 1.7 triples, showing off his versatility and productivity when given extra opportunities.
Pippen Jr. started each of Memphis' four playoff games, and he came through with two stellar performances to cap off the season. Ja Morant suffered a hip contusion in Game 3 and sat out Game 4, opening the door to SPJ for a pair of monster performances.
Pippen Jr. went for 28/5/5 in Game 3, matching his career high in the scoring department, before dropping a 30/11/4 line in Game 4 to set a new career best in scoring while recording his first playoff double-double.
SPJ recorded his first career triple-double on November 8 when he posted an 11/10/11 line against the Wizards. Heading into Year 4, the future is bright for Pippen Jr., particularly if he can earn some additional playing time. He can stuff the stat sheet with the best of them.
Fantasy Disappointment: Ja Morant
Morant logged only nine games a season ago due to a combination of suspension and injury. Injuries hampered him again in 2024-25, and he was limited to just 50 games.
Memphis' superstar point guard averaged 23.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.3 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.8 triples and 3.7 turnovers while shooting 45.4% from the field, 82.4% from the charity stripe and 30.9% from beyond the arc.
His points, rebounds and FGA marked four-year lows, and the assists were his lowest in three years and second-lowest mark of his career.
Morant racked up 13 double-doubles and posted a 26/10/14 triple-double on Halloween against the Bucks. His best scoring performance came on March 14 when he tallied 44 points against the Cavs.
Morant had some memorable moments, but most weren't related to his on-court play. Instead, Morant made headlines for his unorthodox in-game celebrations and 32 missed games.
He finished 94th in per-game fantasy value, despite an ADP of 27.1 (per Hashtag Basketball), and Morant's season can be considered a disappointment for his low finish and his limited playing time.
After multiple seasons of significant missed time due to injury and a decline in production, it's fair to wonder if Morant's best days are behind him. His ADP surely won't carry a third-round price tag in 2025-26 drafts with those concerns in mind.
Jaren Jackson Jr.:
JJJ was excellent yet again, averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 boards, 2.0 dimes, 1.2 steals, 1.5 blocks and 2.0 triples across 74 appearances. Jackson Jr. battled availability concerns with just 126 games played across his first three seasons, but he's played in 78, 63, 66 and 74 games across his last four, respectively.
Jackson Jr. has now scored at least 22 points per game in consecutive seasons, and he continues to impress with his ability to stuff the stat sheet across nearly every category.
He compiled six double-doubles in 2024-25, grabbing a career-high 15 rebounds on March 31 against Boston to go with 20 points. He erupted for 42 points against the Spurs on March 1, finishing with a 42/4/2/2/2 line with five triples, truly showcasing his multi-category excellence.
A big who can score, block shots and hit triples is a cheat code in the world of fantasy hoops, and JJJ is surely that. With availability concerns behind him, he's an easy early-round selection in 2025-26 fantasy drafts.
Santi Aldama:
Aldama enjoyed a number of career highs as he averaged 12.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.4 blocks and 1.8 triples. He shot 48.3% from the floor, 69.1% from the charity stripe and 36.8% from beyond the arc while committing just 1.1 turnovers across 25.5 minutes.
The big man logged 65 games, including 17 starts. He finished with a career-best 29 points on January 17 against San Antonio, a career-high 17 boards against Portland on November 25 and a career-best 11 dimes on March 1 against San Antonio.
Aldama finished just inside the top 120 in per-game fantasy hoops value, but this was in large part due to his low turnovers, relatively-high FG% and respectable three-pointers. He wasn't overly helpful in any one category.
With Zach Edey ready to take the next step and a number of other promising young players in need of minutes, Aldama is best viewed as an option in deeper fantasy leagues in 2025-26 or a late-round dart throw in standard leagues.
Zach Edey:
As expected, Edey finished as fantasy's top rookie behind averages of 9.2 points, 8.3 boards, 1.0 assists, 0.5 steals, 1.3 swats and 1.3 turnovers. The big man out of Purdue shot 58% from the floor and 34.6% from beyond the arc (0.3 made triples per game), knocking down a respectable 70.9% of his shots from the free throw line.
Edey appeared in 66 games and started 61 of them, averaging 21.5 minutes per game. On a per-minute basis, he put up big numbers, and he finished with multiple Grizzlies records.
Edey grabbed 21 rebounds on April 5 against the Pistons and 19 on April 8 against the Hornets, good for the most and second-most single-game totals by a Grizzlies rookie all time. Edey's seven blocks against the Thunder in Game 4 of the first round are the most by a Memphis rookie in a playoff game.
Heading into next season, Edey has a ton of room to grow, especially if he can make strides on offense. If he's allotted more playing time, he could be a 10/10 guy with two blocks a night, which would put him in the top 100 conversation. After finishing fifth in Rookie of the Year voting, the sky's the limit for Edey.
Brandon Clarke:
Clarke suffered an Achilles injury at the end of the 2022-23 season and logged just six games last season. He returned to play 64 games in 2024-25, but he was limited to just 18.9 minutes per tilt and just 20.6 minutes across 18 starts.
Clarke's production was muted, as he averaged just 8.3 points and 5.1 boards. Heading into his sixth season, Clarke can be viewed as a frontcourt depth option with limited upside due to the players ahead of him on the depth chart and his recent injury history.
Luke Kennard:
The veteran finished outside the top 200 in per-game fantasy value with averages of 8.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 triples. Kennard's 47.8/89.5/43.3 shooting splits were efficient, but his counting stats weren't plentiful enough to make him fantasy relevant.
The veteran sharpshooter appeared in 65 games and started 11 of them, offering floor-spacing and microwave scoring off the bench. Kennard is set to hit the open market this offseason, and the career 43.3% shooter from long range is sure to attract attention from contenders. He'll most likely be a better on-court than fantasy option for whatever team signs him.
Jaylen Wells:
The second-round pick out of Washington State didn't come into the NBA with much fanfare, but he certainly made a name for himself by finishing third in ROY voting.
Wells wasn't an impactful fantasy option (262nd on a per-game basis), but he was an integral part of Memphis' rotation throughout the season. Wells averaged 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.1 blocks, 1.7 triples and 0.9 turnovers. He shot 42.5% from the field, 82.2% from the charity stripe and 35.2% from beyond the arc.
The rookie appeared in 79 games and started 74 of them, averaging 25.9 minutes. He missed the final three games of the regular season and all four games of the playoffs due to a fractured right wrist and concussion, but he's expected to be fully healthy to start his second season.
If Wells can take a step forward in Year 2, he can become a productive fantasy option in deeper leagues. For now, he's best left undrafted in standard leagues and drafted as a late-round option in deeper formats.
Restricted Free Agents: Yuki Kawamura, Cam Spencer, Santi Aldama
Unrestricted Free Agents: Lamar Stevens, Marvin Bagley III, Luke Kennard
Club Option: None
Player Option: None