Without key player Ja Morant, the Memphis Grizzlies will have to stay afloat

Sunday evening was different.

The Memphis Grizzlies entered the game with 10 losses. In each of those moments, there were moments where it felt like the Grizzlies could win.

Maybe it felt the same against Oklahoma City on Sunday when the Grizzlies jumped out to a 9-0 lead, but that small glimmer of hope was snuffed out when the Thunder immediately went on a 14-2 run.

Memphis struggled in the first quarter, but after that the talent gap became obvious. OKC (26-5) used its depth and defense to pull away with a dominant 130-106 win at Paycom Center.

The Grizzlies (22-11) were without Ja Morant, Santi Aldama, Zach Edey, Marcus Smart and Brandon Clarke. Each of these players played a part in the team’s strong start this season.

Edey has a concussion and Clarke was only ruled out shortly before the game with a knee injury, but the rest of those players will miss at least next week.

Schedule competition is heating up, with a number of contenders in the Western Conference over the next few weeks. The Grizzlies are currently No. 2 in the West and have a three-game lead over the sixth-seeded Los Angeles Lakers for the all-important final guaranteed playoff spot.

Memphis will try to tread water without Morant, but that will be easier said than done. There’s no timetable yet for his return, but the Grizzlies star sat on the bench Sunday with his shoulder in a sling.

View of the Grizzlies’ frontcourt

It would be easy to say that the Grizzlies’ frontcourt success is due to Jaren Jackson Jr., but it’s not that simple. Lineups with Jackson alongside Clarke or Edey outperformed opponents by double digits per 100 possessions.

Having Clarke or Edey on the floor gives opponents another physical inside presence to take into account. Often that means Jackson is guarded by smaller defenders, which is the case when the 6-foot-1 forward can go downhill and cause problems offensively.

Oklahoma City guarded Jackson most of the night with 7-foot Isaiah Hartenstein, and Jackson struggled. If Edey had played, Hartenstein likely would have ended up with the 7-4 center, which would have created a mismatch problem for Jackson.

Secondary playmakers need to step up

A lot of teams don’t defend like OKC, so that’s a positive, but playmaking is something to keep an eye on for Memphis.

It’s not just point guards like Morant and Scotty Pippen Jr. who are getting things done. This offense relies on a lot of movement, giving multiple players the opportunity to act as secondary facilitators.

Desmond Bane has found success in this area. His play will be crucial going forward, but many of the team’s best ball players are currently unavailable.

Pippen had a team-high six assists against OKC. He’ll continue producing, and so will Bane, but who’s next?

Moving past Morant, Bane and Pippen, the next four assists players per game are down. Smart will be reevaluated in two weeks; Aldama is week to week; Vince Williams Jr. is weeks away from returning; and Jake LaRavia left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury.

Players like Jackson, Jaylen Wells and Luke Kennard will need to step into this role to help the Memphis offense continue to play with their preferred movement principles.

Schedule outlook

Memphis has three more away games on the current trip before returning home. The good news is that these games will be against the current 10th, 11th and 12th seeded teams in the West.

When Memphis returns home on January 6th, it will play the Dallas Mavericks, who have been without All-Star guard Luka Doncic (calf strain) for at least a month.

This matchup will be part of a series of eight consecutive games against teams with winning records.

Memphis thrived without Morant earlier this season, winning eight of 12 games. However, most of these matchups came against teams with sub-.500 records.

It’s time to see if the Grizzlies reach the level of competition or fall into the West’s muddled midfield.

Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at [email protected]. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.

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Without key player Ja Morant, the Memphis Grizzlies will have to stay afloat

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