The Memphis Grizzlies expected turbulence this fall, but not a full-on identity crisis. Fourteen games into Tuomas Iisalo’s first season, with a 4-10 start and Ja Morant sidelined, the offense has sputtered into predictable, stagnant patterns. The silver lining has been the rise of the 24-year-old Spanish forward whose blend of size, touch, and feel has offered flashes of hope in a dim opening stretch.
Aldama has quietly become one of Iisalo’s most reliable rotational pieces, averaging 12.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals on 46.3% shooting from the field. The ever-loyal Las Palmas football club fan brings energy off the bench, crashes the glass (1.6 offensive rebounds per game), and plays with a versatility that fits the evolving prototype of the modern big man. However, with Ja Morant unavailable, Memphis needs more than stability. These Grizzlies need a season-saving invention. Thankfully for Iisalo, Aldama has been in the laboratory.
Moving without Ja Morant
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With Morant off the floor, the Grizzlies lack a gravitational force to collapse defenses. This is where Aldama’s untapped playmaking could become transformative. At 2.5 assists per game, Aldama shows untapped playmaking potential that could alleviate ball-handling pressure on Jaylen Wells, Cam Spencer, and Vince Williams Jr. The Grizzlies need multiple ways of getting Jaren Jackson Jr. the ball without the former Defensive Player of the Year expending too much isolation-heavy, double-teamed attention.
Iisalo should prioritize using Aldama as a hub in elbow actions or the short roll as a base for the team. Individually, the wrinkle Aldama needs isn’t revolutionary; it’s refinement. He requires a reliable go-to move in the mid-post—a turnaround jumper, a shot fake into a sidestep three, or improved playmaking off the dribble. One dependable counterpunch that forces defenders to hesitate, to respect multiple threats, to game-plan specifically for him.
Defenses currently treat Aldama as a predictable offensive piece: close out hard on his three-point attempts, and contain his straight-line drives. Aldama’s 57.1 effective field goal percentage on drives ranks in the 68th percentile among forwards, per NBA Advanced Stats, yet he attempts just 2.8 drives per game. Imagine him in pick-and-pop actions with Jackson Jr., slipping screens to exploit mismatches against lumbering centers who falter in space. Or picture him at the top of the key, dishing to cutters as defenses rotate frantically.
In Aldama, Iisalo has a canvas of potential in the shape of a fluid scorer whose growth could redefine the team’s identity. As the season grinds on without its star, the Spanish forward’s ascent offers hope: not a full replacement for Morant’s wizardry, but a fresh fold in the fabric, keeping the Grizzlies competitive until their leader returns. For the Grizzlies to generate new life offensively, Iisalo must turn Aldama from a complementary piece into a dynamic dreamkiller; an initiator, a mismatches hunter, and a creator whose presence forces defenses into uncomfortable adjustments.
That will be impossible for the new head coach if Aldama sticks to the old nonchalant ways. Memphis and Ja Morant need someone with a killer instinct to replace Desmond Bane.
Grizzlies getting defensive
Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Aldama’s offensive potential draws the headlines, but his defensive growth will determine whether he becomes a long-term cornerstone or remains a matchup-dependent rotational piece. His length allows him to guard multiple positions, but smaller wings can beat him with quickness, and shifty drivers can exploit his balance when closing out. His block and steal numbers reflect good instincts, but consistency in positional awareness, communication, and vertical discipline is what turns flashes into trust from a coaching staff.
Boxing out with more force and using his body to carve out space are essential. Memphis has been vulnerable on second-chance points, and Aldama’s mix of length and mobility should make him a more influential presence on the defensive glass. Improving lateral quickness will give Iisalo the freedom to deploy him on more credible wings, unlocking bigger lineups without sacrificing perimeter mobility. If Aldama becomes a defender who can credibly switch and recover, the Grizzlies’ entire defensive scheme tightens.
