There are no moral victories in the NBA and this game was no exception. Yes, it was exciting to watch two dynamic young point guards face off. But much less so when it’s your team that takes the L.
Ja Morant
In the battle between Trae Young and Ja Morant, there is no denying who came out on top. Hint: it wasn’t Ja Morant. Say what you will about the officiating (and Morant did, earning him a technical foul late in the 4th quarter) but this was still a winnable game for the Grizzlies and they blew it.
Sloppy defense, careless turnovers, and poor shot selection — once again, these cost the Grizzlies the game.
Morant is everything Memphis needed in a player. But the past two games have clearly demonstrated that while good, he cannot carry this team by himself. And this team cannot wait for the return of Jaren Jackson Jr. to start winning games, not if they want to stay competitive in a deep Western Conference.
This means that everyone else on the team needs to come with their A game. What we have seen on the court in the past two games was at best a C+, and that is being extremely generous.
The absence of De’Anthony Melton was surely felt, but that alone should not be enough to derail this team. Brandon Clarke looks like a different player than he was last year. While it is too early yet to panic about Clarke, it is concerning. Even more concerning is the Grizzlies’ bench play. For the second game in a row, the opponent’s bench outscored the Memphis bench by double digits. Nothing good can come from the bench being consistently outscored, much like nothing good can come from jacking up three-point shots five seconds into the shot clock. (Looking at you, Dillon Brooks.)
Here is a brief rundown of the second game of the season:
The good:
Kyle Anderson
All five starters scoring double digits
Fewer turnovers committed by the Grizzlies
Grizzlies converting Hawks turnovers into points
The bad:
Foul trouble
Dillon Brooks shooting 3 of 11 from beyond the arc
Grizzlies bench play
Not driving to the basket
Let’s all hope that what this team needs is just to shake off the rust.
Who Got Next?
The Grizzlies will face off against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, December 28th.
