Grizzlies' bench is getting more minutes than their centre

The Memphis Grizzlies are expected to start Cameron Boozer, Jaylen Wells, Ty Jerome, Cedric Coward and Zach Edey at the Toronto Raptors on Monday 9 November 2026, according to the Grizzlies depth chart. That is the lineup card. The minutes tell a different story about who actually carries this team's rotation.

The twist is at center. Jerami Grant comes off the bench and plays 24.1 minutes a game, more than Zach Edey, who starts and plays 20.5. Boozer leads the team in minutes, and he has the lowest field goal percentage of any regular.

Below you'll find the five expected starters, the bench in order, the shooting splits that matter and the two names on the injury report. For the game itself, our Raptors v Grizzlies preview has the rest. Everything here is at the time of writing, across the nine games Memphis have played.

The expected starting five at the Toronto Raptors on Monday 9 November is Cameron Boozer (F), Jaylen Wells (F), Ty Jerome (G), Cedric Coward (G) and Zach Edey (C). Confirmed lineups come about 30 minutes before tip-off, and this five allows for everyone on the injury report.

This article is about what the minutes say beyond that lineup card. Starting a game and carrying a rotation are not the same thing, and Memphis are a good example of the gap. The Memphis Grizzlies are 6-3 over their last nine games, so whatever they are doing with their minutes, it has worked so far.

Boozer plays the most, at 32.1 minutes a game across nine games. Jerome is next on 30.4, then Coward on 28.5 and Wells on 27.1. Edey is the outlier. His 20.5 minutes put him sixth on the team, behind Grant's 24.1.

Our full starting lineup and rotation page ranks every available player by minutes, and the order there is the order of trust in the rotation. Starters one to four sit where you would expect. The fifth starter does not.

Edey is not underperforming in his time. He averages 8.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks, and he shoots 53.3% from the field. His rebounds are third on the team and his blocks are the most of anyone in the table.

His 20.5 minutes are only just above Javon Small's 20.4, and Small has played two games. That is how thin the gap between starter and bench is for Memphis. The starting center plays about as much as a guard who has barely appeared.

The first four off the bench are Jerami Grant, Javon Small, Cam Spencer and GG Jackson. The rotation list gives projected minutes for Monday, and the season averages show what each has actually played. Both are in the table below, and the bench order by minutes is worth a look before tip-off.

Grant projects at 25.0 minutes and averages 24.1, with 9.7 points, 1.0 blocks a game and 40.0% from three. He is the sixth man in name only. He plays more than a starter and is fifth on the team in minutes.

Cam Spencer is the quiet story. He averages 5.1 assists in 19.7 minutes, third on the team in assists behind Jerome's 5.3 and Boozer's 5.2. He also shoots 51.6% from three and scores 8.9 points a game.

A caution on Javon Small. He has played only two games, so his 20.4 minutes, 8.5 points and 31.3% shooting rest on a very small sample. GG Jackson is more settled at 15.6 minutes, 7.4 points and 3.5 rebounds across eight games.

Boozer is the heart of the starting five by workload. He leads Memphis in minutes at 32.1 and in rebounds at 10.0, is second in points at 15.6 and is second in assists at 5.2. Few players on the roster touch the game in as many ways.

The shooting is the problem. His 33.9% from the field is the lowest of any regular, and his 31.6% from three is not much better. Compare that with Ty Jerome, who leads the team with 26.6 points on 50.3% shooting.

Cedric Coward gets the best of both worlds. He scores 13.8 points with 8.8 rebounds on 47.1% from the field and 48.8% from three. The table sets the five starters' shooting side by side, and Cameron Boozer sits at the bottom of it.

The Grizzlies list two players on the injury report, and both are Out with an expected return of 9 November. That is who is out for Memphis: Scotty Pippen Jr. and Isaiah Stewart. Statuses follow the official NBA injury report and update through the day, and the expected five allows for everyone on it.

Isaiah Stewart is the bigger absence on the numbers. He averages 11.9 points in 18.3 minutes over seven games on 66.7% shooting, fourth-best scorer on the roster. Scotty Pippen Jr. has played five games, with 6.4 points and 2.2 assists in 16.0 minutes.

Check the NBA starting lineups tonight page closer to tip-off to see whether either return changes anything. The latest on every club is on the NBA injuries page.

Four things stand out. Edey starts but plays 20.5 minutes, below Grant's 24.1. Grant is effectively a starter off the bench. Boozer carries the biggest workload while shooting 33.9%. And two useful players, Stewart and Pippen Jr., are listed as Out.

When the lineups drop about 30 minutes before tip-off, see whether the five matches the expected one and how the minutes fall. The latest is on the Memphis Grizzlies starting lineup for 2026-27 page, and the Grizzlies roster has the full squad.

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