Grizzlies drop final In-Season Tournament game against Suns

The Memphis Grizzlies continue to struggle in 110-89 loss to the Phoenix Suns, closing the inaugural In-Season Tournament winless.

The Memphis Grizzlies were looking to close their In-Season Tournament play with a win, which would have also been their 1st home win of the season. However, they faced a common theme of this season: not enough.

It seemed like a prime game to win. A home game against a Phoenix Suns team without Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, a squad with about nearly as depleted depth as the Grizzlies. However, continuing to be plagued by injuries, the Grizzlies’ firepower continues to be lacking, as they didn’t have enough to contain Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns.

Not winning with stars playing like this

Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. combined for 19 points on 8-21 shooting, and with the state of the Grizzlies at the moment, wins won’t follow with that formula. The Suns threw everything at their two stars, forcing them out of the rhythm and for the ball to come out of their hands.

Bane clearly wasn’t 100% after spraining his foot in Wednesday’s loss against the Rockets. He capitalized on the Suns’ coverage to keep the ball moving, as he finished with a career-high 10 assists. Other than his passing, he didn’t have his lift on his shot or his touch on his floaters inside. It was a rather uncharacteristic game attributed to health.

Jackson struggled finding his footing. His drives are still a bit awkward with little fluidity downhill, leading to tougher looks on the interior. The Grizzlies can find cleaner looks for him to capitalize on mismatches, but he has to hold up on his end of the bargain with his fouling. He had Grayson Allen in the post and drew a charge. His shooting efficiency numbers have lowered to his ‘21-22 marks, and the Grizzlies could tread water in these next 10 games if he finds his groove.

The Grizzlies didn’t have the best production from its two stars right now, and teams are going to sell out to ensure that’s the case each night. Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. having outings like last night’s game ruins a winning recipe.

Making most of shorthanded situation

It’s no secret the Grizzlies out struggling right now and are dealing with a boatload of injuries. There are some things attributed to a talent deficit, but they need to control what they can control.

Ball movement and communication were two talking points in postgame, as areas in which they could improve.

The Grizzlies failed to score 100 points in consecutive games. Taylor Jenkins attributed the ball movement not having enough energy as a symptom of its struggling offense, deeming its assist total (22) as unacceptable. Santi Aldama added there’s been stagnation, not enough ball or player movement in their actions. Running crisper offense while keeping the ball humming could help them drag this offense out of the mud.

Communication became a talking point after Derrick Rose’s postgame comments.

The team is having struggles with its defense, with its perimeter defense being the most glaring. Their rotations are off, which communication could fix. It’s a step in togetherness that’s needed to right the ship.

Yes, the injury bug and luck continue to strike down on the Grizzlies, but controlling these variables would be steps in the right direction to get back on track.

Rose providing a spark

It’s nice to see Derrick Rose contributing out there. The Grizzlies were in need of offense throughout the game, and he provided a necessary spark to keep them in the game.

Outside of Jackson and Bane, there isn’t a lot of creation within this current state of the team. Rose’s rim pressure and shot creation is a nice jolt to the arm in the second unit. His finishing was pristine, identifying the right angle, touch, and burst on his shots. His jumper was cooking off the dribble in both the mid-range and from 3. Rose isn’t a defensive stalwart, but he provided a nice cycle to turn defense into offense.

It seemed clear Derrick Rose was doing whatever he could to pull the Grizzlies out of their sluggish offense, and seeing him provide that punch off the bench is always a fun sight within this grim season.

Ziaire Williams, DNP-CD; Vince Williams Jr., you’re up

Taylor Jenkins and the Grizzlies coaching staff are trying to concoct the right combinations to build some sort of momentum in this early season. It’s evident on the wing, as the team continues to search for answers there.

The Grizzlies inserted Vince Williams Jr. into the rotation in place of Ziaire Williams.

Vince has been a heavily-discussed name for minutes on Grizzlies X/Twitter, as he’s a prospect with fascinating glue skills as a defender and rebounder. He also flashes a jumper here and there that makes him an intriguing 3-and-D guy. The minutes were a mixed bag. He was pretty solid — 3 points and 5 rebounds — but he also tallied 4 fouls in 5 minutes in the 1st half. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him getting more cracks at minutes.

Ziaire has had a rough start to the season, as the Grizzlies are 20.6 points worse per 100 possessions with him on the floor — per Cleaning the Glass. He’s struggling finding a rhythm on both ends of the floor, and Jenkins decided to leave him out of the rotation last night.

The Grizzlies will likely continue juggling lineups until they have some reinforcements come back to the fold, but this was an interesting wrinkle in that mission.

The Memphis Grizzlies will be back at home tomorrow afternoon to face the Minnesota Timberwolves at 5PM CST.

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