DECEMBER 28, 2023 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM
KENNETH LOFTON JR.
Kenneth Lofton Jr Shines in Blue Coats Debut The Blue Coats’ most recent addition balled out in his debut.
Signs two-way deal with 76ers Lofton is signing a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Impact Lofton was waved by the Grizzlies on Dec. 18 and will now get an opportunity with the 76ers. It will likely be hard for Lofton to crack the rotation with the amount of depth the team has in the frontcourt, so most of his time will likely be spent in the G League.
DECEMBER 23, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Officially waived Lofton was waived by the Grizzlies on Monday, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
Impact Lofton was a logical cut candidate with Memphis needing to clear a roster spot in advance of Ja Morant's return from a 25-game suspension Tuesday. Bismack Biyombo has entrenched himself as a part-time contributor in the Grizzlies' frontcourt since being signed in early November, and his initial addition to replace Steven Adams (knee) is what created the roster crunch. Across 31 G League appearances last season, Lofton shot 64.3 percent at the rim and 31.6 percent on his catch-and-shoot threes, so there is credence to him potentially being claimed by another franchise off waivers. Charania notes that Lofton is expected to receive free-agent interest if he goes unclaimed.
DECEMBER 19, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Returns to NBA The Grizzlies recalled Lofton from the G League's Memphis Hustle on Friday.
Impact Lofton will be available for Friday's game versus the Timberwolves. The second-year big man is averaging 2.4 points and 1.1 rebounds in 6.7 minutes across 14 NBA appearances this season.
DECEMBER 8, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Excels in second unit Lofton closed Wednesday's 133-109 loss to the Jazz with 12 points (4-7 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 3-9 FT), five rebounds, two assists and two steals across 19 minutes.
Impact Luke Kennard struggled early and gave way to Lofton in the first quarter. The same thing occurred in the fourth quarter with David Roddy, where Lofton did most of his damage. He played well enough to keep Roddy off the floor for the rest of the contest.
NOVEMBER 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Excels in second unit Lofton closed Wednesday's 133-109 loss to the Jazz with 12 points (4-7 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 3-9 FT), five rebounds, two assists and two steals across 19 minutes.
Impact Luke Kennard struggled early and gave way to Lofton in the first quarter. The same thing occurred in the fourth quarter with David Roddy, where Lofton did most of his damage. He played well enough to keep Roddy off the floor for the rest of the contest.
NOVEMBER 2, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Kenneth Lofton Jr.'s top plays from Las Vegas Summer League | NBA.com Kenneth Lofton Jr.’s top plays from Las Vegas Summer League
AUGUST 1, 2023 • NBA.COM
Strong two-way effort Lofton submitted 23 points (8-14 FG, 2-3 3PT, 5-7 FT), four rebounds, two steals and three blocks over 28 minutes of Saturday's 87-80 win over the Bulls during Summer League.
Impact Lofton led Memphis in scoring and got his production from inside and out, knocking down a pair of triples while shooting 6-of-11 from inside the arc. He was also the Grizzlies' anchor on defense, rejecting three shots and nabbing two steals. After earning G League Rookie of the Year honors last season, Lofton should continue to be a force in Summer League.
JULY 9, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Scores 21 in Summer League debut Loften tallied 21 points (6-15 FG, 2-4 3Pt, 7-10 FT), 13 rebounds, four assists and two steals in 30 minutes during Monday's Summer League game against the 76ers.
Impact Loften led the Grizzlies with 21 points and feasted on the glass, easily recording a double-double in his first action of Summer League. The big man held a limited role during the 2022 campaign by averaging 5.0 points, and 2.1 rebounds in 7.3 minutes per contest (24 appearances), but he'll aim to carve out a bigger role heading into the 2023 season.
JULY 4, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Memphis Grizzlies season review: David Roddy, Kenneth Lofton Jr. show flashes as rookies The Memphis Grizzlies added five rookies before the season. David Roddy and Kenneth Lofton Jr. showed the most flashes.
MAY 15, 2023 • COMMERCIALAPPEAL.COM
Will come off bench Lofton will return to the second unit for Sunday's Game 1 against the Lakers, Harrison Faigen of SBNation.com reports.
Impact Lofton put up 42 points over 40 minutes in Memphis' regular-season finale, but he'll be lucky to crack the rotation in Game 1. He's not someone to target in daily fantasy leagues.
APRIL 16, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Scintillating in season finale Lofton amassed 42 points (17-25 FG, 0-2 3Pt, 8-12 FT), 14 rebounds and one steal over 40 minutes during Sunday's 115-100 loss to the Thunder.
Impact The G League's Rookie of the Year got his big opportunity with the Grizzlies holding out most of their key rotation players in the regular-season finale, and Lofton didn't disappoint. All of Jaren Jackson, Xavier Tillman and Santi Aldama will absorb most of the minutes in the frontcourt once the postseason begins, but Lofton will at least be eligible to play after the Grizzlies recently upgraded him from a two-way contract. Lofton showed Sunday that he may have a bright fantasy future ahead of him if he can capture a regular role in the Memphis rotation in his second season in 2023-24.
APRIL 10, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Kenneth Lofton Jr. is on FIRE! 42 PTS, 14 REB vs Thunder🔥 Full Highlights
APRIL 9, 2023 • YOUTUBE
Grizzlies sign Lofton to bolster front-court depth
The Memphis Grizzlies signed forward/center Kenneth Lofton Jr. to a multiyear contract to bolster their front-court depth in the absence of Brandon Clarke, who suffered a season-en...APRIL 8, 2023 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Grizzlies center Steven Adams reportedly likely to miss the playoffs
Steven Adams will reportedly miss the upcoming postseason for the Grizzlies, who recently signed Kenneth Lofton Jr. to a four-year deal.APRIL 8, 2023
Grizzlies reward two-way rookie Kenneth Lofton Jr. with a standard contract Lofton was named the G League Rookie of the Year after averaging 22.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals.
APRIL 8, 2023 • USATODAY.COM
Scores 11 in 10 minutes Lofton had 11 points (5-9 FG, 1-1 3Pt), two rebounds, three assists, one block and two steals in 10 minutes during Friday's 151-114 win over the Rockets.
Impact Lofton was able to clean up in garbage time, doing all of his damage in 10 minutes. Lofton has seen double-digit minutes in four of the past six games, but his sporadic role makes him hard to trust in most fantasy formats despite the upside.
MARCH 25, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Recalled by parent club Lofton was transferred to the Grizzlies from the G League's Memphis Hustle on Saturday.
Impact Lofton was part of a mass recall by the Grizzlies on Saturday, as Ziaire Williams, Jake LaRavia, Kennedy Chandler and Vince Williams joined the NBA squad. Lofton has seen more than five minutes just once this season and should not factor into the Grizzlies' rotation.
FEBRUARY 25, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Sent to G League The Grizzlies transferred Lofton to the Memphis Hustle of the G League on Wednesday.
Impact Lofton didn't make an appearance for the Grizzlies during his recent stint in the NBA. The two-way forward will have more opportunities to play with the Hustle.
FEBRUARY 22, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Transferred back to NBA The Grizzlies transferred Lofton from the Memphis Hustle of the G League on Wednesday.
Impact Lofton is averaging 2.1 points in 3.9 minutes across eight games in the NBA this season. He is unlikely to make much of an impact in the Grizzlies' rotation.
FEBRUARY 16, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Assigned to Hustle Lofton will join the Memphis Hustle on Saturday.
Impact Lofton has split time in the NBA and the G League but has appeared in just eight games with the Grizzlies this season. He will have several opportunities to develop with the Hustle.
FEBRUARY 11, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Transferred to NBA club The Grizzlies transferred Lofton to the NBA club from the G League's Memphis Hustle on Sunday.
Impact Lofton, Jake LaRavia, Kennedy Chandler and Vince Williams were all elevated and will be available for Sunday's matchup against the Raptors. Across seven NBA appearances, Lofton has averaged 2.4 points in 4.1 minutes per game.
FEBRUARY 5, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Back with parent club Lofton was transferred from the G League's Memphis Hustle to the Grizzlies on Sunday.
Impact The Grizzlies are dealing with several absences for Sunday's matchup against the Pacers, so Lofton will suit up for the NBA squad. He's averaged just 2.4 points in 4.1 minutes per game over seven appearances with the parent club this year.
JANUARY 29, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Transferred to NBA club The Grizzlies transferred Lofton to the NBA club from the G League's Memphis Hustle on Friday.
Impact The Grizzles elevated Lofton, Jake LaRavia and David Roddy to the NBA club ahead of Friday's game. However, none of them are expected to garner sizable roles against the Lakers.
JANUARY 21, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
Joins NBA team The Grizzlies recalled Lofton from the G League's Memphis Hustle on Monday.
Impact The undrafted rookie out of Louisiana Tech looks as though he'll be available for Monday's game against the Suns, though he won't be a lock to dress for the contest if both Ja Morant (hip) and John Konchar (illness) -- who are listed questionable -- are cleared ahead of the 6 p.m. ET tipoff. Lofton, who is signed to a two-way deal, has appeared in just six games for the Grizzlies this season and is averaging 4.0 minutes per contest.
JANUARY 16, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
