Grizzlies Roll Out Chaotic, Undefeated Starting Lineup Against Blazers
Lineup alert: Grizzlies will start Jerome, Coward, Wells, Boozer, Edey on Thursday. (Underdog NBA)
The are rolling out a starting five of , Jaylen Coward, Jaylin Wells, , and Zach Edey on Thursday night against the Portland Trail Blazers. If you told someone a few years ago this would be an undefeated NBA team's starting lineup, they would have assumed a meteor hit the league.
But here we are. Underdog NBA confirmed the lineup, and Memphis is sitting at a flawless 4-0. They are currently second in the , largely because has decided to turn into a prime scoring machine.
Jerome is averaging an absurd 29.8 points and 6.5 assists per game to start the year. He just dropped 31 points on the , including a perfect 14-for-14 from the free-throw line. That is not a hot streak. That is a hostile takeover of the offense.
Then you have the frontcourt. Zach Edey is healthy and anchoring the middle, while is ripping down 10.5 rebounds a night. Coward is also quietly stuffing the stat sheet, averaging 15.8 points and 8 rebounds over his last five outings. If you are looking at his 21.5 points, rebounds, and assists prop line for tonight, the math is starting to look very interesting.
This roster looks like a random video game generated draft class, but it is working. Memphis boasts a top-seven offensive and defensive rating, outscoring teams by nearly 10 points per 100 possessions. The chemistry is baffling, but you cannot argue with the results.
The Trail Blazers get the next crack at solving this puzzle tonight at 10:00 PM. Until someone actually beats this chaotic Memphis rotation, you have to respect the madness.