MEMPHIS – For the Grizzlies, consider this a break amid a breakthrough.
Having endured a truncated early season schedule that crammed their first 24 games into 47 days, the Grizzlies now get a bit of a reprieve in the process of their restoration.
As the league shifts its focus to the NBA Cup’s in-season tournament playoffs this week, the Grizzlies are among the 22 non-qualifying teams that won’t resume games until Thursday or Friday. Ultimately, the scenario worked out as a win-win for Memphis for at least two reasons.
First, the Grizzlies appear to be turning a corner and winning on a consistent basis in recent weeks after a tumultuous start to the season.
Secondly, four full days off between games gives one of the league’s most injury-ravaged teams time to recover and regroup for a push to get back into the Western Conference playoff picture.
The Grizzlies’ schedule is front-loaded primarily because they will make a 9-day trip in January for two matchups with the Magic in Germany and London as part of the NBA’s Europe Games.
Therefore, a chance to reset at this point couldn’t have come at a better time for Memphis.
“It’s a very unique situation, so our schedule has been a bit more packed than other teams because we have to make up for those couple of weeks (ahead of January),” Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo said. “We look at it as, ‘Let’s individualize the training a little more.’ So, it’s a chance for some guys to recover a bit. Whereas for other guys, it’s a great chance to get some much-needed work in. Then, we bring the whole group back to an equilibrium.”
That pursuit of ideal balance is taking shape on multiple fronts in the coming days.
The Grizzlies (11-13) return to action Friday against the Jazz to close out a three-game homestand at FedExForum. By then, the team will likely get back franchise catalyst Ja Morant from a right calf strain that has sidelined the dynamic point guard since Nov. 15.
Also, by then, Memphis will be positioned to move a step closer to evening its overall record after winning seven of the past nine games. Drastically improved defense, reliable depth and a favorable dip in the caliber of competition in the schedule collectively sparked an encouraging turnaround the past three weeks.
In sweeping a set of games against the Blazers and Clippers over the weekend, the Grizzlies held consecutive opponents below 100 points for the second time this season. Memphis particularly locked both teams down in the fourth quarter, having outscored the Clippers 23-17 in the final period Friday and the Blazers by a 27-18 edge Sunday. It was the first time this season the Grizzlies held consecutive opponents below 20 points in the final frame.
This time a month ago, Memphis ranked among the bottom-third defensive teams in the league. Since Nov. 18 – which covers the past 10 games – the Grizzlies rank first in the NBA in rebounding, third in assists percentage, fifth in defensive rating and sixth in overall net rating.
“We’ve definitely made some adjustments, and I think it’s been working,” swingman Jaylen Wells acknowledged of how the defense has gradually evolved. “We play very aggressively and we have elite defenders, with Zach (Edey) and Jaren (Jackson Jr.) at the rim, and then me, Vince (Williams Jr.) and Cedric (Coward) can guard the best players and ball-handlers. So, it all just kind of goes as one, just wear teams down throughout those first three quarters.”
To get completely back to standards, Wells knows they must pass more tests against the league’s better teams. In this recent stretch, the Grizzlies have beaten the Kings and Clippers twice and have also knocked off the Mavericks, Pelicans and Blazers.
Overall this season, the Grizzlies are 10-3 against opponents with losing records and just 1-10 versus teams that are at or above the .500 mark. Coming off a strenuous November, the month of December delivers Memphis eight of 12 games against teams currently with losing records.
“Obviously, we’ve got to show that same level of intensity and successfulness against the better teams in our conference,” Wells continued. “So, it’s just keeping it consistent and believing in what we’re doing. This is a great time now to just go in and find those nitpicky things you can’t change when you’re playing day after day. But now, we can dive into the film, get a little rest and we’ll probably get some players back. So, this will be good for all of us.”
Through it all, the Grizzlies have gotten a consistent lift from the NBA’s most dominant bench.
Forward Santi Aldama scored in double figures in all but one game in November. Combo guard Cam Spencer has provided energy, playmaking and prolific 3-point shooting during the recent upswing. And veterans Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jock Landale productively embrace their respective transitions to reserve roles in light Coward’s emergence and Edey’s return from summer surgery to the starting lineup.
With three players averaging double-figures in scoring coming off the bench, the Grizzlies continue to rank first in the league in bench production at 49 points per game. Entering the week, that is nearly six points per game more than the NBA’s second-ranked team in bench scoring.
“Defensively and offensively, I felt like there were some chemistry issues early, but we’ve tightened it up and we’ve done a great job the past few weeks,” Aldama insisted.
Caldwell-Pope agreed.
“The ball is moving and hasn’t been staying in one person’s hands . . . just playing together, playing for each other, and that’s how it’s being built out there,” he assured. “The vibes are great. You can tell by the way we’re playing that the chemistry is getting better and better.”
So are the results.
Now comes a much-needed rest and reset before the push for progress resumes.