MEMPHIS – The growth mindset permeated the locker room.
From Ja Morant’s astute assessments at one end of the room to the poignant perspective Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s shared at the other, the Grizzlies move forward from their season-opening victory embracing looming battles on multiple fronts.
The grind of the NBA’s 82-game regular season is just beginning. And if Opening Night was any indication, Memphis will have a fight on its hands every step along the journey.
Given the injury and acclimation limitations endured since training camp opened, the biggest battles may come from within as the Grizzlies push through a development process certain to be a work in progress throughout the season’s early stages.
“As a team, it sets the tone for the season you want to have,” Morant said of Wednesday’s hard-fought, 128-122 win over the Pelicans at FedExForum. “Obviously, it wasn’t a perfect game for us. Even though we made mistakes, we were able to battle back and go handle business. Great start for us. It’s one of 82. We’ve got two more this weekend. We turn the page tomorrow.”
As the opening week chapter unfolds, here are four key components the Grizzlies (1-0) look to build upon from Wednesday’s performance as the three-game homestand continues against the Heat on Friday and Pacers on Saturday.
Trust
In his first full season at the helm, Tuomas Iisalo’s philosophy is rooted education and preparation. The first Finnish-born coach in NBA history considers himself a teacher of the game’s foundational principles more so than a coach who simply relies on traditional tactics and sometimes stereotypical cliches.
The biggest lesson delivered in Game 1 was about trust. And it involved Jaren Jackson Jr., the franchise’s longest-tenured player, two-time NBA All-Star and 2023 Defensive Player of the Year.
One of Jackson Jr.’s main struggles throughout his promising career has been staying on the court and out of foul trouble. That issue emerged again against the Pelicans when Jackson picked up his third foul midway through the second quarter.
That circumstance traditionally signals a trip to the bench to preserve a player’s availability for the second half, with only three infractions to spare before a disqualification on six fouls.
Iisalo left Jackson in the game, and the eight-year veteran big man picked up his fourth foul with 3:29 left in the half. Iisalo seemed to initially get burned by his decision to leave Jackson in the game. But the star defensive big man regrouped and responded with a dominant third quarter, when Jackson registered five of his game-high six blocks, scored nine of 18 points and grabbed three rebounds as the Grizzlies outscored the Pelicans 41-22 in the game’s most pivotal period.
Iisalo considered the risky move a short-term investment that will have a long-term payoff.
“It’s a fine line because you also don’t want to foul out your own guys,” Iisalo asserted. “We could have made the decision not to play him in that situation. But we are in the process of building trust, and that trust is a two-way street. Jaren is approaching his prime years, and for him to be at his best, he’s got to be able to stay on the floor and make those split-second decisions. Just show your hands (defensively) and be disciplined with it.”
Jackson Jr. appreciated being held to a higher standard. As a perennial NBA All-Defensive Team selection who has also ranked among the league’s leaders in foul rate, Jackson accepts both the responsibility and accountability that come with his status.
“We build trust in a lot of ways,” Jackson acknowledged of the rapport with Iisalo, who took over as interim coach late last season before being promoted to the full-time role. “He’s not a new coach to me; I had him last year. You build trust every game, every practice. I appreciate it.”
Commitment
Injury absences and fluctuating lineups prevented the Grizzlies from showing much evidence of Iisalo’s system on both ends of the court taking shape during training camp and the preseason.
That changed with both Jackson and Morant available on opening night for the first time since 2021. Iisalo’s offense is predicated on pace, speed and creating advantages in the open court. The defense is designed on full-court pressure and rim protection.
With Morant calibrating the offense and Jackson engineering the defense, the Grizzlies produced 41 points in transition and blocked 12 shots Wednesday. The commitment to a balanced effort, which included seven players scoring in double figures, sets the blueprint.
“We knew what we were doing can work and it would wear down on them,” swingman Jaylen Wells said of the collective pace and rim protection. “It’s just staying on the same page. We’ve had a lot of different lineups, and a lot of guys probably haven’t been on the floor together. So just to communicate and stay on the same page, we can do a really good job as a team.”
Perfection
After struggling the find his rhythm on offense throughout the preseason, rookie lottery pick Cedric Coward couldn’t have drawn up a more perfect script for his NBA regular-season debut.
Coward, the No. 11 overall pick in June’s draft, made all five of his shots from the field, all four free-throw attempts, and finished with 14 points, three rebounds, two steals and a block. More importantly, his impact rating was a plus-24 in his 22 minutes off the bench.
Throughout the preseason, Coward’s defense and energy were consistent from game to game. His shot just wouldn’t fall on a regular basis. Coward shot 31.1-percent overall from the field in five preseason outings and missed 23 of 26 attempts from 3-point range in that stretch.
Now that the games actually count, Coward looks to build on that debut breakthrough.
“The win was how I drew it up – I didn’t really focus on my performance,” Coward evaluated. “It’s just about doing whatever I can to help the team win. My teammates helped me out tremendously putting me in the right spots, both offensively and defensively. It felt good. The energy was completely different than the preseason.”
Connection
Despite being shorthanded the Grizzlies used 11 players in the opener, who logged between John Konchar’s eight minutes of action to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope’s team-high 31 minutes.
The order of deployment for the bench rotation might change on a game-to-game basis but expect the approach to prioritize depth to continue in the early stages of the season. Two players who prepared throughout the preseason to be key pieces to that bench puzzle are sidelined for an extended period as they recover from injuries.
Backup point guard Scotty Pippen Jr. underwent successful toe surgery on the eve of the season opener to address an injury he sustained in the preseason. Combo guard Ty Jerome is also in the initial phases of his rehab from a calf strain he suffered in last Friday’s preseason finale.
Iisalo acknowledged those absences forced an untimely shift in the bench rotation plans but assured that both players will remain engaged with the team during their respective recoveries.
“You feel for those guys – both have put in a ton of work in preparation and were predicted into very important roles this year,” Iisalo said of Pippen and Jerome. “We thought they would fit very well together, and now we have to postpone that for a while. You empathize with those guys and what they’re going through, and you just try to be there for emotional support also.”