PHOENIX – As the Grizzlies cope with recent injuries to key players, they’re also grappling with another source of pain impacting their performance at a crucial stage of the season.
“We’re hurting ourselves,” power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. admitted. “We’re having too many turnovers. We have to be better moving the ball. Move it better and hit shots, we’ll be good.”
Sounds like a simple enough solution.
But resolving the Grizzlies’ turnover struggles remains one of their biggest challenges in an otherwise encouraging start to the season. Those miscues on offense have grown more plentiful and painful in the most daunting stretch of the schedule as key players cope with injuries.
The Grizzlies (22-11) are now forced to rely more heavily on their depth than at any stage of this season as they reach the midpoint of their five-game road trip Tuesday against the Suns.
Superstar point guard Ja Morant remains out as the medical staff evaluates treatment options for the right shoulder sprain he sustained in Friday’s win at New Orleans to open the trip. Just before Sunday’s loss at Oklahoma City on the second stop, the team announced starting center Zach Edey was ruled out of that game and had entered the NBA’s concussion protocol.
Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins has said Morant is dealing with soreness and that Edey woke up the day after Friday’s game in New Orleans with concussion-related symptoms.
“Still getting evaluated,” Jenkins said of Morant. “Not sure what the timeline is going to be.”
Without Morant and Edey, the Grizzlies suffered one of their worst defeats of the season in Sunday’s 130-106 loss to the Thunder (26-5). Injury absences prevented the matchup from being a true measuring stick for the top two teams in the Western Conference standings.
In addition to Morant and Edey, the Grizzlies were also without three other top rotation players in Santi Aldama (ankle), Brandon Clarke (knee) and Marcus Smart (finger). While Morant, Aldama and Smart are not expected to return this week, it is unclear if Edey or Clarke will be back before the trip ends with games in Sacramento on Friday and Golden State on Saturday.
To add depth in the short term, the Grizzlies on Sunday activated second-round pick Cam Spencer and recalled two-way prospects Yuki Kawamura and Colin Castleton from their G League Memphis Hustle assignments. Memphis has also reportedly been active in trade talks in hopes of bolstering the roster and solidifying its status as a top contender in the conference.
“It’s a great opportunity for guys to continue to step up,” Jenkins assured.
The more immediate concern isn’t the turnover in the rotation as the team copes with injuries; it’s the turnovers on the court as the Grizzlies try to correct their most nagging issue. Memphis gave up a season-high 33 points off turnovers against the Thunder, marking the eleventh time in 12 games it has allowed an opponent to score at least 20 points off miscues.
Some of the difficulties can be attributed to the Grizzlies adjusting to a new offense this season that has them leading the NBA in scoring and playing at the league’s fastest pace. While the team has still been able to execute and win games overall amid the growing pains, struggles with ball security have been especially costly against the better teams in the league.
With the Grizzlies projected to face the NBA’s toughest remaining schedule, correcting the turnover issues will be essential to maintaining success. Memphis currently has the NBA’s third-highest turnover percentage (16.3%), commits the second-most turnovers per game (17.2) and yields the second-most points off turnovers (22.2).
Throughout December, the Grizzlies have been able to overcome that dilemma with prolific scoring, elite 3-point shooting and balance. They entered the week ranked third among NBA teams in both 3-pointers made (196) and 3-point shooting percentage (40.7) for December. They were also the league’s lone team ranked top-five in both offensive and defensive rating.
While injuries compromised the Grizzlies’ depth, the Thunder exposed their main weakness.
“We’ve been talking about our offense hurting our defense,” Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane pointed out. “We just have to tighten up the things that we already do well and some of the things that we’ve been struggling with. It’s nothing that we can’t control.”
That message resonates from the top down.
Jenkins is well aware of how injuries can impact a season. The Grizzlies suffered one of the most injury-riddled campaigns in NBA history during a 27-55 finish last season. Understandably, he declined to elaborate on the impact the current injuries could have on the team.
Instead, Jenkins vowed the team would adapt and adjust to stay on track the rest of this trip.
“It’s one game,” Jenkins acknowledged of the takeaway against OKC. “We still have a lot of basketball ahead on this trip. We’ve just got to find ways to get better. We’ve been playing in crowds and turning the ball over too much. That’s something we’ve got to really improve on, and our pace has to improve. There are some things we’ve got to clean up. We have to have this mental edge these next three road games. And that’s going to be our focus.”
Jackson agreed with Jenkins assessment.
“We’re in it now,” Jackson surmised. “We’re in the hard part of the season, on the road going up against tough teams. You just have to go out there and hoop. There’s no time to think about anything other than that.”
And there’s no other choice.
The Grizzlies must lock in and finish the trip by depending on their depth to deliver at a time when injuries and turnovers threaten to disrupt their flow.