SAN ANTONIO – Ja Morant peeled off his game-worn uniform, sat at his locker and eventually scanned the room to signal to nearby media members that he was ready to talk.
“Y’all need me for anything?” Morant asked as he was immediately swarmed.
After sluggishly, stubbornly and abruptly responding to a few inquiries, the Grizzlies’ franchise point guard ultimately delivered the succinct statement he’d been setting up from the start.
“I’ve got to be better,” Morant surmised.
Having lost four of the past six games amid one of their most challenging stretches of the season, the Grizzlies have no shortage of leaders willing to hold themselves accountable. But the task at this point requires more than individually and collectively taking ownership of areas where the team has struggled, particularly against stronger competition.
The challenge now requires the ability to adjust in critical moments and to execute at an elite level as the Grizzlies (25-15) pivot toward the second half of the season. After splitting the first two games on their four-game trip in dramatic fashion, the Grizzlies reach the midway point of the regular season with a two-game set in San Antonio to face the Spurs on Wednesday and Friday.
What they’ve shown over the first 40 games is a team capable of pacing the NBA in points, assists and rebounding while registering as one of the league’s only teams in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive rating.
In other words, Memphis metrically measures as a potential championship contender.
What they’ve also displayed so far is an Achilles heel characterized by chronic turnovers, squandered leads and costly mistakes that have led to losses to some of the NBA’s better teams. The Grizzlies’ latest example of breaking through one night and breaking down the next surfaced in the first two games of their current trip.
In Minnesota on Saturday, the Grizzlies endured a sluggish first half and relied on a dominant defensive effort in the fourth quarter to knock off the Timberwolves. Morant delivered in the clutch with a key assist and two acrobatic baskets in the final minutes of the 127-125 victory.
Two nights later in Houston, the Grizzlies found their rhythm early only to fizzle down the stretch in blowing a 13-point lead in the fourth quarter of a 120-118 loss to the Rockets.
That setback dropped Memphis to 0-3 on the season against the Rockets, who are one spot ahead in second place in the Western Conference standings. The Grizzlies are just 6-10 this season against teams currently in the conference’s playoff or play-in picture.
“When we have our battles against these teams, it comes down to protecting the ball and it comes down to second-chance opportunities,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins explained. “It’s a battle in those situations. It’s a fight on the boards and with execution. Being able to win those areas, in those individual moments, is huge. We have to be more consistent in those areas.”
Establishing themselves mentally and physically against better teams is a priority.
After the win over the Timberwolves, the Grizzlies talked repeatedly about being the more aggressive team and controlling the paint on both ends of the floor.
Entering Monday’s matchup with the Rockets, Jenkins implored his team to have a “hit first” mentality, while power forward Brandon Clarke vowed to collectively play with more edge against a Rockets team “that wants to try to punk us.”
The Grizzlies simply know they have to get tougher in some areas, especially against teams intent on imposing their will against them as the jockeying for playoff position intensifies.
“These types of teams, overly physical teams, have been a problem for us,” Grizzlies forward Santi Aldama admitted. “We’ve just got to adjust. I think the more the season goes on, the more we get better. We are right there. It’s just a matter of finding the way. Watching film will help, but we know the recipe. We just have to execute for 48 minutes instead of (only) 30.”
The past three weeks have served as a barometer of sorts for what is required to win on the road against playoff-caliber teams. These next two games in San Antonio will complete a stretch in which the Grizzlies will have played nine of 11 contests on the road.
There have been quality lessons along the way as the Grizzlies take inventory. They’ve been working to correct some issues that have hindered them in recent weeks. During a 10-game span prior to this trip, Memphis opponents were scoring 33.2 points in first quarters and 24.7 points a game off Grizzlies’ turnovers.
In both games so far on the trip, Memphis won the first quarter against the Timberwolves and Rockets. The Grizzlies only allowed 17 points off turnovers in Minnesota and limited their own miscues to a manageable level against the Rockets until the fateful fourth quarter.
“It’s good to be in these high-stakes games, just to be able to play in these environments and face these moments,” Grizzlies rookie swingman Jaylen Wells insisted. “Small adjustments make for big results, learning that every possession matters, especially down the stretch.”
For the Grizzlies, it’s now down-the-stretch time of the NBA schedule.
It’s time to adjust the scheme or personnel to curtail their turnover problems.
It’s time to talk less about toughness and play more with the necessary tenacity.
According to another franchise cornerstone, it’s also time to maintain trust above all else.
“The trust is there from all of the games we’ve played to this point,” star power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. assured. “We know what we’re capable of. We’ve shown it. We’ll keep working.”