Ty Jerome Is the Front-Runner to Replace Ja Morant and Memphis Has a Fantasy Point Guard Again
By Verdexed NBA Desk
Memphis has a new answer at point guard, at least for now. With Ja Morant traded to Portland, Ty Jerome has emerged as the early front-runner to start for the Grizzlies, according to multiple camp reports, after standing out through a training camp that wrapped up at Belmont University's Crockett Center on October 2.
Coach Tuomas Iisalo had Jerome in the pole position as early as media day, and nothing in camp changed that. Teammates have praised his scoring, with forward GG Jackson II saying, in substance, that Jerome can score on anybody from any situation. Center Zach Edey has pointed to the chemistry developing between the two and to Jerome's habit of hunting him touches.
The Grizzlies open their exhibition schedule Monday night at Atlanta, which gives fantasy managers their first look at a Memphis offense that no longer runs through Morant for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
How Memphis got here
The Grizzlies traded Morant to the Trail Blazers this summer for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray, plus cash. It closed a turbulent run in which Morant played only 20 games last season. Memphis had already moved Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., and the rebuilt roster is now centered on No. 3 overall pick Cameron Boozer, Edey, Jerome and Cedric Coward. The team also acquired Isaiah Stewart from Detroit for frontcourt depth.
Iisalo has rejected the idea that this is a fresh start, but for fantasy purposes it plainly is. Morant's usage is gone, and no one on the roster is a proven high-usage lead guard. That makes the starting point guard job one of the more valuable open roles in the league for drafters.
The catch is Jerome's health. He played only 15 games in 2025-26, missing the first three months with a significant calf injury before an ankle injury ended his season. When he did play, he was productive as a starter, which is why the job is his to lose.
The Memphis backcourt depth chart
| Player | Camp situation | Fantasy note |
|---|---|---|
| Ty Jerome | Early front-runner to start at point guard | Mid-to-late round target if he wins the job |
| Scotty Pippen Jr. | Full participant after March toe procedure, competing with Jerome | Deep-league handcuff |
| Cam Spencer | Competing for backcourt minutes | Deep-league only |
| Javon Small | Competing for backcourt minutes | Watch list |
| Jaylen Wells | Projected starter at shooting guard | Late-round wing in deeper leagues |
Projected lineups from Memphis beat coverage have Jerome, Wells, Coward, Boozer and Edey as the starting five. Iisalo has not formally named a starter, so treat that group as the likely opening-night look, not a lock.
Fantasy fallout
Ty Jerome is the headline. A starting point guard on a team with no other established creator should see a heavy share of the ball-handling, and Jerome's shooting gives him a path to points and threes on top of assists. Many drafters still view him as a backup-caliber guard after last season's injuries, so he can come cheap relative to the role he appears set to inherit. Camp buzz has moved faster than most draft boards, and that gap is where the value lives. The risk is availability: after a 15-game season, managers should draft him as a high-upside starter with a bench-level floor, not as a locked-in weekly piece.
Scotty Pippen Jr. becomes the handcuff. He is fully cleared after a toe procedure and is the most direct threat to Jerome's minutes. If Jerome's calf or ankle flares up again, Pippen is the first add on the waiver wire.
Zach Edey and Cameron Boozer benefit indirectly. A pass-first creator who looks for the big man is good news for Edey's interior efficiency, and Boozer, as a rookie starter, should get a long leash in a non-contending environment. Both were already draftable; a functioning point guard nudges both up slightly.
What to do in your league
Draft Jerome in the middle-to-late rounds as a guard with a clear role, and pair him with a reliable floor-raiser earlier in the draft. If you take Jerome, consider stashing Pippen in deeper leagues, because the injury history makes a handcuff more useful than usual.
In dynasty leagues, Jerome is a short-term asset on a rebuilding team, while Boozer, Coward and Edey are the long-term pieces. Sell Jerome into a hot October if a contender's manager is paying for points and threes. His age and injury history make him a better rental than a cornerstone, and the Grizzlies' timeline points toward Boozer and Coward taking on more of the offense each season.
Bettors should keep in mind that Memphis is a team in transition. A competent point guard improves the floor, but the roster around him is young. Verdexed's model view on Grizzlies games is on the NBA predictions page, presented in words rather than numbers.
What's next
Monday's game at Atlanta is the first real data point. Watch who starts, how many minutes Jerome logs, and whether Iisalo lets him run the offense or splits the ball with Pippen. A conservative minutes load for Jerome would be a reasonable choice given last season's injuries and should not be read as a demotion.
The regular season opens October 20. If Jerome starts every preseason game he plays and stays healthy through the exhibition slate, he moves from front-runner to entrenched starter, and his fantasy value rises with it. If Pippen starts multiple games, the job becomes a timeshare and both players fall into deep-league territory.