Recap: Memphis Grizzlies burned by Miami Heat, 108-102
The Memphis Grizzlies fall to the Miami Heat in familiar fashion, dropping to 1-7 this season.
Here are some themes for the Memphis Grizzlies in the early part of the season:
Slow starts
Over-helping for 3’s
Offensive stagnation
Cutting leads but giving up big shots on the other end
Those trends continued against the Miami Heat, as they couldn’t gather momentum against their physicality. The Heat asserted their way into generating the free throw advantage — though skepticism from the officiating is fair. The Heat also had a thorough gameplan to make life difficult for Desmond Bane, and to drive the Grizzlies out of their actions.
The Grizzlies showed fight and counters in the 3rd quarter, but they couldn’t build offensive consistency to come away with a consecutive win.
The ultimate test for Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane
With Ja Morant out, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. generate the most defensive attention. Not only was that the case with Miami’s stout defense, but they were covered by Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo — two of the best defenders in the league.
It was a tougher go for Bane, who finished 4 of 16 from the field. The Heat made sure to stay air tight on him, forcing him away from his spots angles downhill. He didn’t get a clear look from 3, and seemed to not have his legs under him from chasing for the ball.
Jaren Jackson answered the call. He embraced Bam Adebayo’s physicality. By the way, if you want to have a rewatch, pay close attention to this matchup. It ruled.
Anyways, Jackson willed the Grizzlies through the game in the 2nd half. He asserted himself and played with force.
These matchups are the tests that will pay off for Jackson and Bane in the long run.
… but they need help
The Grizzlies didn’t get enough help in this game.
Santi Aldama found his groove late, but struggled with Miami’s physicality throughout the game. Luke Kennard cooked early, but Miami ramped up their defensive attention with a faceguard.
Marcus Smart and Ziaire Williams were offensive negatives, and Williams didn’t provide any defensive support. David Roddy was rather invisible off the bench as well.
The coaching staff has to help too. The Grizzlies couldn’t get to their actions effectively, a blame on the players and the coaches when it comes to offensive organization. When teams are trying to take away certain players or sets, there needs to be more creativity to free up looks to hopefully either build a 2nd/3rd action, or to generate scoring opportunities.
Fanbase will scapegoat Taylor Jenkins and the coaching staff. They haven’t been perfect — and we all know the state of its injury report — but it’s also on the players with execution as well.
The Grizzlies’ offense has struggled all season, a daunting reminder of Ja Morant’s absence. They need to find a way to build momentum on both sides of the floor, fast.
3-point defense watch
The Grizzlies’ 3-point defense has been a sore spot this season. Last night, Miami hit 11 of their 28 3’s (39.3%). The accuracy wasn’t great, but the volume was encouraging.
They had moments of overhelping a bit to lead to 3’s, but they stayed home more.
Obviously, people will point to Jaime Jacquez’s game-sealing 3 with this case. It’s a bit different as they wanted to trap and generate a turnover — or halt the possession with a timeout.
The free throw differential — and more importantly, the loss — nullified the impact of 3-point defense, but it’s an element for them to build on. If we’re looking at shooting volume.
Jacob Gilyard!
Jacob Gilyard has been thrusted in the rotation, and his contributions were big last night.
Gilyard does a great job of organizing the offense and getting actions started quickly. He provided early floor spacing with 2 three’s as well. Defensively, he was solid enough — though watching him fall into mismatch situations worries me a bit.
Nonetheless, the Grizzlies were a +10 with Gilyard on the floor, the highest mark on the team.
Taylor Jenkins mentioned that Gilyard is in the mix for rotation minutes with guys out, and he’s making the most of his playing time in the early going.
The Memphis Grizzlies will face the Utah Jazz on Friday for “Group Play” of the In-Season tournament before a 3-game road trip.
If you choose to support my Substack, SubTsakalidis — aka “SubTsak” — follow this link to my Allie’s Allies St. Jude fundraiser page. If you choose to subscribe, all proceeds will go towards St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.