Tidbits from the Grizzlies’ 119-94 loss to the Suns.
There’s a bit of a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde vibe going on in Memphis. The Grizzlies haven’t decided what type of team they want to be yet.
The Suns took a commanding lead from start to finish and were up by as many as 38 points.
Phoenix shot 48.9 percent from the field and 48.6 percent at the three-point line, while Memphis was 37.8 percent from the field and 21.2 percent at the three-point line. A season-high 18 3-pointers were made by the Suns in this game.
In the last four games, the Grizzlies have given up more than 115 points.
After the loss, Taylor Jenkins didn’t hold back. He said, “I’d just say we’ve got two versions of the Grizzlies: the six wins, we play disciplined basketball, we make shots, we do what we need to do defensively, and then outside of the Lakers game, the ones where we’ve gotten smacked, our defense hasn’t been disciplined and we’ve missed a lot of shots. You’re not going to win games when you shoot 38 percent and 21 percent [from the 3-point line].”
“I’m not going to use youth as an excuse or anything like that,” Jenkins continued. “It’s just a matter of just finding consistency and just going out there and just playing better.”
For the time being, Ja Morant appears to be the only consistent Grizzlies player. He finished the game with 26 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists as the Grizzlies fell to 6-6 for the season.
When he’s on the bench, it seems like everything goes downhill.
Just two points were scored by the bench in the first half. Nine shots were attempted, but only one was successful. The Phoenix bench outscored the Grizzlies bench 48-32, including a 33-7 advantage in the first three quarters.
However, Morant has a solution for the team’s problems. “Play harder, for 48 minutes,” he re-enforced. “Games we won, it is that simple, ready to play to the end, all four quarters.”
In addition to Morant, Jaren Jackson, Jr. was the only other Memphis player to score in double digits. Jackson tallied 19 points, four rebounds, and two blocks on 7-of-18 shooting from the field.
Two-year guard Desmond Bane shared his thoughts on what it takes for the team to get back on track. He said, “A strong defensive effort. I think we need to get back to enjoying playing defense and flying around for 48 minutes. I feel like our defense has let us down in the games we lose. We are better when we get out in transition, and are able to run, play at a faster pace. We have not been able to do that, because teams are scoring at a high rate.”
Bane continued, “It goes back to defense. We are not being consistent guarding, and we dig ourselves a hole. It’s tough to climb out [of]. We have had a tough start to the season, played a bunch of good teams. Almost all of our losses will probably be to playoff teams this year, or last year. We just have to bounce back, but we have a resilient group, so I think we will be fine.”
He went on to say, “It is a lack of discipline. It showed in the games we have lost. Whether it has been coverages, schemes, or game plan. When we are not making shots on the offense end, those things usually start to magnify.”
Bane scored nine points, grabbed eight rebounds, and blocked two shots.
The time has come for the group to step it up a notch. As a result, a faster start is required. In many cases, they often fall behind early and have to fight their way back. However, they’ve got another 70 games to work through it. Hopefully they’ll figure it out sooner rather than later.
Up Next
Even if things go south, there’s always hope for a turnaround in the NBA. The Grizzlies and Pelicans meet tonight at 6 p.m. CT in New Orleans for an early tip-off. The Grizzlies will face Jonas Valanciunas for the first time since he was traded to New Orleans. Valanciunas spent three seasons in Memphis.
