Another sub-100-point game, another loss on the home floor.
It was sad business as usual for this season’s Memphis Grizzlies. Haunted by some ghosts from their past, Memphis dropped yet another game on their home court, this time, against the Minnesota Timberwolves. With a final score of 119-97, Memphis fell to 3-13 on the season and 0-8 in FedExForum.
Former Memphis Grizzly Mike Conley terrorized his former team from beyond the arc, going 6 of 9 from three-point range and finishing with 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 10 assists, a pointed contrast with the 0-point performance from Jacob Gilyard, who has been thrust into the starting point guard role with the ongoing absence of Ja Morant and injury of Marcus Smart.
Jaren Jackson Jr had a better scoring night, finishing with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 3 blocks. Santi Aldama continues to produce, with 14 points, a team-high 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. And Desmond Bane is slowly breaking out of his slump, closing out with 13 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists.
From the bench, David Roddy (11), Derrick Rose (12), and Vince Williams Jr (11) all finished the night in double-digits.
At some point, we are going to need to discuss coaching. One man’s ceiling is another man’s floor, and we may be looking at Taylor Jenkins’ ceiling.
Even when you factor in injuries and a shorthanded roster, there is no excuse for Memphis being winless on their home court almost a quarter of the way through the season.
Jenkins is not doing enough to maximize the guys that are available and playing, and one must wonder if he has taken this team as far as he is able.
Regarding the team’s mentality, his response was: “Guys are definitely frustrated. They know that we’ve got to play better. We got to play with more urgency. More togetherness. We got to be more dialed in, and we just got to be better. I mean, these guys are pissed. They should be; that’s what’s motivating them. We’re clearly not getting the results and the play that we need. We know what we’re capable of. We’re just not fully doing it right now. These guys are grasping for it; they’re fighting for it.”
His comments postgame expressed no acknowledgment of responsibility on his part for the ongoing struggles — lots of “we” statements, seemingly no self-awareness of his own possible shortcomings.
Anyhow. Rant over.
Who Got Next?
Memphis finishes a three-game homestand Wednesday night against the Utah Jazz. Tip-off is at 7 PM CST.