Ronald Tillery

The Commercial Appeal

They haven’t named a starting shooting guard.

And the Grizzlies’ starting power forward, JaMychal Green, remained unsigned Monday as a restricted free agent.

Chandler Parsons is penciled in as the starting small forward. And the Grizzlies aren’t close to settling on a backup point guard.

Even Grizzlies coach David Fizdale matter-of-factly declared there are only two players who own guaranteed positions: starting point Mike Conley and center Marc Gasol.

Yet the Grizzlies’ media day didn’t come across as gloom and doom. Optimism filled FedExForum on the eve of the Grizzlies’ first training camp practice.

“The unknown is what’s exciting about this team,” Conley said. “For so many years, we kind of knew what everybody brought to the table for our team. Now, you’re interested to see how Wayne (Selden) has improved, how Wade (Baldwin) has improved. … To see how all the pieces come together will be exciting.”

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Gone are franchise pillars Zach Randolph and Tony Allen. The Grizzlies will rely heavily on Conley and Gasol, and hope for the best with the rest.

Parsons is back to playing five-on-five basketball after rehabbing from his third knee surgery in three years. Newcomer Mario Chalmers took last season off. He’s trying to make the roster on a nonguaranteed contract and a surgically repaired Achilles.

Top free agent acquisition Ben McLemore’s foot injury will keep him out until November. Veteran Tyreke Evans appeared in 40 games last season because of injuries but declared he’s healthy.

It all adds up to wait and see if the Grizzlies can improve on their 43 regular-season wins from last season.

“As a coach, you always look forward to the challenge of the unknown,” Fizdale said. “I embrace it. Everybody will be in a wait-and-see mode. But we’re prepared for it.”

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Fizdale is eager to put the puzzle together.

The Grizzlies will play a different style to fit in with today’s brand of NBA basketball. Fizdale called the Grizzlies “more skilled” and “versatile.”

To a man, players insisted that while they expect to play faster and shoot more 3-pointers, they won’t lose the grit-and-grind, defensive mentality that defined the franchise over the past seven seasons.

“I can’t wait to get it going,” Gasol said. “I really don’t know what the style is going to be or the sets are going to be. Really, it’s not about that. It’s about the mindset we have to have as a team throughout the season.

“You can’t win without (defense). You look at a team like Golden State, for example. You see they obviously have a lot of firepower, but their defense is really outstanding with how they all move together at the same time. And how they all shift as a unit from one side to another. They’re connected. They all communicate.”

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How will the Grizzlies’ change in philosophy speak to the loaded Western Conference?

The defending champion Warriors are intact as well as the San Antonio Spurs. Houston acquired All-Star point guard Chris Paul to join forces with James Harden. The Oklahoma City Thunder traded for Paul George and Carmelo Anthony during the offseason. The Minnesota Timberwolves are expected to make a giant leap after picking up swingman Jimmy Butler and veteran power forward Taj Gibson.

Still, the operative word in FedExForum is optimism.

“The West is as competitive as it’s ever been. It’s deeper,” Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said. “The talent seemed to migrate to the West in a lot of trades. It’ll be blistering competition. No one is going to get out of our way. But we worry about who we’ve got. We like the guys we have. We like our coaching staff. We’re ready to go.”