Report Card: Grizzlies disappoint in the Twin Cities

Dec 1, 2022 - 3:21 PM

Sloppy. Disjointed. Disappointing.

These are perfect words to describe the Memphis Grizzlies in its game against the struggling Minnesota Timberwolves. In a game where the Grizzlies shot 18-30 from the free throw line, 42.6% from the field, and committed 24 turnovers to Minnesota’s 12, Memphis was lucky to lose by only 8 points to the undermanned Wolves.

No Karl-Anthony Towns, no Jaden McDaniels, no Taurean Prince. Though the Grizzlies had their own injured players — Desmond Bane is missed — this Report Card will reflect the poor effort displayed by those in Beale Street Blue.

Ja Morant (C-): 24 Points (8-20 FGs) (6-11 FTs), 6 Assists, 5 Rebounds, 7 Turnovers

24 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds are par for the course for Ja Morant, but the mental aspects of his game were not on point tonight. Look no further than his 5 missed free throws and 7 (!!!) turnovers. Ja was uncharacteristically sloppy with the ball and drove into the lane without a plan too many times. That’s expected though with negative spacing for him to attack the rim. With that said, this was far from Ja’s best performance. He would’ve received a D if it weren’t for his insane alley-oop finish.

Dillon Brooks (F): 12 Points (4-14 FGs, 28.5%), 6 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Steals, 5 Turnovers.

Dillon Brooks was putrid. He finished with 5 turnovers, shot 28.5% from the field, 0-4 from 3, 4-7 from the free throw line, and tied with Santi Aldama for the lowest +- with a -14. Perhaps his injury hobbled him a bit, because he struggled guarding Anthony Edwards and was well below-average on offense. Even worse, he let his emotions get the better of him leading to his ejection at the end of the game. Not a good night for Dillon.

Jaren Jackson Jr. (C+) 16 Points (5-10 FGs), 11 Rebounds, 2 Blocks

Jaren was a force. He and Steven Adams owned the glass and kept Memphis in the game by creating second-chance opportunities and giving the Grizzlies more possessions. However, the familiar problem reared its ugly head: foul trouble. Jaren committed his 4th foul with 7:19 left in the 3rd quarter sending him to the bench until the start of the 4th. 2 minutes and 11 seconds later, Jaren walked back to the bench after his 5th foul. In total, Trip only played 25 minutes costing the Grizzlies severely.

Overall Grade: D

D is for disappointing. Though this has shocked many across the NBA, including myself, the Wolves are not a good basketball team 22 games into the season. Especially with the absence of KAT, the Grizzlies should’ve won this game handily. After a quick 11-2 start, it sure looked like Memphis was on its way. Instead, what followed was the worst loss of the year.

Let’s hope Memphis can get right against Philly at home on Friday.

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