MEMPHIS – It was a gamble, but trust isn’t established in the absence of risks.
At a critical stage midway through the fourth quarter of a tight game, Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo summoned Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. to the bench to get a few minutes of rest.
That decision left Memphis with a unit of role players and reserves on the road desperately trying to hold off the Suns in a hostile environment. In a similar situation two nights earlier at Golden State, the Grizzlies wilted as circumstances intensified during a key stretch of the game.
This time around, the investment of trust remained.
But the outcome was different.
“The trust also comes from the results,” Iisalo explained of the prevailing principles from Wednesday’s 114-113 win over the Suns. “And the best way is to pull off a win like this and see that all of that hard work is worth it.”
The results Iisalo referenced were delivered in the Grizzlies’ most complete performance through the first two weeks of the season. Morant’s go-ahead floater in the lane with seven seconds left proved to be the game-winning shot. But what unfolded leading to that moment essentially defined the outcome.
Forty-eight hours earlier, several Grizzlies players admitted how the second half transpired in a 131-118 loss to the Warriors forced the team to collectively look themselves in the mirror.
The reflection they saw late against the Suns was one of a team that resembled more of what was envisioned in training camp. That was when Iisalo set out to install an offensive system predicated on attacking in transition along with a disruptive defense that feasted off turnovers.
Establishing a rotation that relied on depth was also important, given the injuries that sidelined key players at various times in camp, through the preseason and early into the regular season.
The Grizzlies (3-2) returned to Memphis on Thursday having earned a two-game split in their first road trip by checking off many of those boxes. Trust in a unit of role players and reserves around Morant and Jackson Jr. is gradually starting to build.
Rookie Cedric Coward, second-year guard Cam Spencer and veteran Santi Aldama anchored a bench unit that contributed 41 points, shot 53-percent on 3-pointers and added 19 rebounds, 12 assists and four steals against the Suns. The reserves responded with a significant boost.
That contribution positioned the Grizzlies’ stars to take over at the end. The formula also produced ideal results on the defensive end, where the Grizzlies forced 22 turnovers they converted into 37 points – four points shy of a franchise record.
“That’s no surprise for me, though,” Morant said of the second unit building on each experience. “Obviously, a lot has been thrown at them. Those guys have been putting in the work and staying ready for when that time comes to get out there, make plays and contribute. The credit goes to them for the hard work they’ve put in.”
Coward’s rapid development is one of the most encouraging signs of the early season. This week’s tests included defensive assignments to help chase around future Hall of Famer Steph Curry in Golden State and then trying to cool off perennial All-Star Devin Booker in Phoenix.
There was no backing down for Coward, the No. 11 pick in June’s NBA Draft. He blocked Booker’s shot in the fourth quarter and knocked down a key 3-pointer in the final minutes.
“Mentally, it’s kind of easy because to get on offense, you’ve got to play defense,” Coward rationalized of his approach. “Ultimately, it’s competition. It’s about just making sure that no matter what side of the ball we’re on as a team, we are executing the way we wanted to.”
The other night at Golden State, Aldama declared the need to expedite that process and no longer make excuses. After closing out the Suns, he acknowledged evidence of progress.
The schedule gets tougher in this upcoming stretch, when the Grizzlies return home to play five of their next six at FedExForum. That slate includes Friday’s matchup with the Lakers, who have been surprisingly productive despite the injury absences of LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
For the Grizzlies, the difficult work continues.
“For us, mentally, it’s good to see the hours we put in come to life,” said Aldama, who registered the Grizzlies’ first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds in Phoenix. “But that’s not our goal, to win one game. We just have to find a way to keep feeling better, be more consistent. We all have the same goals, and we’re just finding ways to achieve them together.”
That trust is building on a game-by-game basis.
The Grizzlies are showing gradual growth.