Awaka's Double-Double Complicates Splitter's Frontcourt Math

Grizzlies bring real questions. Memphis finished last season 25-57 under Tuomas Iisalo, with Jerami Grant averaging 18.6 points and Jaylen Wells at 12.5. Micah Peavy and Isaiah Stewart are both questionable tonight. Zach Edey played just 11 games a year ago, so the Grizzlies' own frontcourt picture is still unsettled too.

Awaka forces a decision. Tobe Awaka went 6-for-8 for 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench against Phoenix. That's a double-double from a player who wasn't guaranteed minutes two weeks ago, and it puts real pressure on how Splitter divides time up front.

Powell gets a nomination. Joe Cowley of the Sun-Times argued this roster needs a tough-love presence and nominated Norman Powell for the job. Powell backed it up against Phoenix, hitting 3 of 4 from three and scoring 14 points in just 14 minutes.

Return targets land today. Jaylin Sellers, Tre Jones and Zach Collins were all given an estimated return of Oct. 9 — tonight. None has a game logged yet, so Memphis is the first real test of whether those timelines hold.

Claxton's date is further out. Nic Claxton's hamstring keeps him out with an estimated return of Oct. 21, the day Chicago opens the regular season at Toronto. Every preseason game between now and then is reps for a frontcourt that will have to manage without him.

Notes without substance again. Julia Poe's report yesterday named Wilson, Swain, Awaka, Williams, Claxton and Collins without saying what connects them. It's the latest headline to list Chicago players by name and stop there, worth tracking once actual content surfaces.