Reactions to Grizzlies Play-In Loss

 There is nothing that I love more than Memphis Grizzlies hoops. I build my weekly schedules around "meaningless" November games. The joys of Grizzlies wins brings me adrenaline rushes like not much else and the devastation of losses is equally crushing. On Tuesday night the Memphis Grizzlies furious rally from a twenty point deficit against the Golden State Warriors came up just short, causing the Grizzlies to drop to 0-9 in the state of California this season. This loss truly captured the feelings that fans of the Grizzlies have felt throughout the season. Lots of fun and exciting things but even more memorable are the moments of frustration and inexcusable mistakes. The Grizzlies will have one more chance to make the playoffs as the 8 seed in the West as they will host the winner of tonight's game between Sacramento and Dallas. Whether the Grizzlies barely make it into the postseason or limp into the lottery remains to be seen but I stand by saying this might be the most important offseason in franchise history. The Grizzlies thought they started their championship window in the 21-22 season. Since then there has been no progress and one can argue lots of regression. The cornerstones of the franchise are all just now entering their prime years and the front office must make the necessary moves to capitalize on this. 

Grizzlies vs Warriors

This loss hurt fans more than most. There is almost nothing in the world that Grizzlies fans hate more than the Warriors organization. Losing to them always hurts, especially in such a high stakes game. Playoff Jimmy came out in full force and completely dominated the game. Steph Curry hit dagger three after dagger three. Yes, the refs were atrocious but that is not why the Grizzlies lost. The Warriors seemed to just want it more. They won the loose balls, they got timely offensive rebounds. The Grizzlies got outworked in most aspects. Ja came to play. Bane came to play. Konchar in his limited minutes actually provided some juice. Outside of that there was not lots of things to excite Grizzlies fans!

 - Ja and Bane

    Two of the Big 3 came to play. 12 and 22 combined for 55 points on efficient shooting and really were the only two players who consistently threatened the Warriors on the offensive end. They were the only two who seemed like they truly wanted to win this game. They were not scared of the moment.

 - Jaren Jackson Jr.

    The third member of the Big 3 was extremely disappointing in my opinion. He shied away from contact, was extremely timid, was predictable offensively, and the former DPOY was also a liability at times on that end. Jaren was absolutely the most valuable player this season for Memphis. He was consistently healthy and available and reliable. He put together an All-NBA caliber season. But the second half of the season his flaws were highlighted and they were extremely exposed in the game against Golden State. Jaren still struggles when defenders match his physicality. His dumb and reckless fouls still show up way more often than they should for someone in their 7th NBA season. His go to offensive moves are elite, but they are predictable. He needs more counters. When driving left the Warriors clogged the lane and made it difficult for Jaren to get a clean look for his push shot. His favorite counter to that (drive left spin right) is predictable, seen in the second half where Jimmy Butler stripped Jaren clean on a spin leading to a fast break dunk. The gameplan when scouting Jaren Jackson Jr is simple. Send a double. Jaren still struggles to outlet quickly and can't score over the double teams. His lack of post playmaking has long been a weakness of Jaren's as well as his well documented lack of rebounding. At this point in his career, I think it is safe to say that Jaren likely will never be a great playmaker for others or an elite rebounder.

    All that sounds very negative. I think it's just realistic. That being said, Jaren is a fantastic player and Grizzlies fans who are adamant that Memphis should move on from JJJ are silly. Jaren is still just 25 years old. He has shown to be one of the league's elite defensive bigs. He has improved his scoring abilities year after year. He can be a matchup nightmare. Yes he has struggled in big time games and has been labeled by some as a "regular season player". The thing is, you have to be good in the regular season to even make the big time games. This is a big offseason for Jaren. Huge contract implications are going to arise depending on whether or not he makes an All-NBA team. I think the Grizzlies have to keep him. Yes the Grizzlies need him to be better in big moments, but they also need to appreciate all the great things he has done over his career so far.

 - Zach Edey

    Edey has been a polarizing player for Grizzlies fans. It frustrates me. I do not understand why we can't just agree that Edey has been good as rookie and has good potential to be a good starter, while also admitting a rookie center is going to struggle. Some fans seem to want to consider him a HOFer already while other fans of the Grizzlies seem to think he is the worst player in the league. The fact of the matter is that Edey has had a very normal rookie year. He has had great moments and flashes of potential, while having moments where he looks lost and a step behind. 

    Edey has shown he can be a great rebounder on both ends and he does cover up Jaren's rebounding deficiencies. I also think he doesn't get the credit he deserves as a defender. He has shown to be a good rim deterrent and will only improve in that aspect. Yes he will struggle guarding the perimeter. Most centers do. But he has impressed me at times with his mobility. Promising for such a large human.

    Edey also looks lost on the offensive end. His elite touch that he showed at Purdue seemingly vanished. He struggled to finish at the rim and his hands were suspect at best. Both those things should improve as he gets used to NBA speed and physicality but they still let the Grizzlies down at times this year. He needs to spend this offseason focusing on those aspects. One of the most frustrating things for me was Edey's tendency to bring the ball down low. He had many turnovers or rushed shots due to not just keeping the ball high.

    All in all Edey is a rookie. A promising rookie. He isn't ready to contribute at the level that some may want, yet. I do think he will have a great career and will be the Grizzlies starting center for many years to come.

 - Rest of the roster

    Taylor Jenkins received lots of criticism when he was coach about his large rotations. Playing players who did not need to see the floor. The problem is, which we saw late in the year when the Grizz dropped all the way from the 2 seed to the play in, is that the rest of the roster is quite flawed. Vince and GG both regressed greatly from last year and the Grizzlies put a lot of faith in the fact they would be much more reliable. While they aren't the solution, Marcus Smart and Jake LaRavia would have been helpful to have on the defensive end for the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies perimeter defense, and defense in general, was disappointing and not physical enough. Not enough length or physicality on the wings. 

    Brandon Clarke and Jaylen Wells were greatly missed. What the Grizzlies needed were high energy players. BC and Wells are those kind of players. Both of those players are maybe the best defenders on the team and the Grizzlies lacked defensive versatility. They needed perimeter players to hit shots (Wells) and could have used even more paint scoring (BC).

    Scottie Pippen Jr. is someone I am a fan of. He was brought in this season to be the third or fourth ball handler on the team, but saw his role increase with injury and trade. He is a POA defensive pest. If he played only his role of a backup PG the discussion around SPJ would be different. I think he is a player to keep and would thrive in a limited backup role.

    Santi Aldama is an interesting one. He has had big scoring games but he is often a liability on defense and is a minus playmaker, so when his shot ISN'T falling, how valuable is he? I like Santi but I think the Grizzlies need to explore a different archetype of wing.

    Everyone else on the roster simply isn't good enough to be a contributor on a championship team, which the Grizzlies aspire to become.

 - Coaching

I do not think Tuomas Iisalo is the answer. I think he is too similar to Taylor Jenkins. I think the Grizzlies need to bring someone from the outside to bring out different juices of the player in the organization to maximize the potential. I would like to see Kleiman and the front office to explore more coaching options. However, I find this to be an unlikely thing to happen.

 - Off-Season

I won't expand too much here. The Grizzlies need to add a long and defensive minded wing player with size to guard perimeter players. Unfortunately I fear about Brandon Clarke's injury risks, so I would prioritize adding front court depth.