Coming out of a really bad loss at the hands of the New York Knicks, things got a little dark among Grizzlies fans. Whether it was in the YouTube comments of Locked on Grizzlies or on social media, the level of frustration was evident. It got to a point where the likes of Jake LaRavia and Ja Morant deactivated their X accounts among all the vitriol.
This, of course, is unfortunate. Basketball is a game - not life - and these players are human beings just like you and me. Any criticisms of them in this space are rooted in the sport, not the character, because we don’t actually KNOW them. We watch them play a child’s game at the highest level on the planet. Sometimes they succeed. Sometimes they fall short. It never should get personal.
But emotions are running hot ahead of perhaps the biggest game of the season for Memphis Thursday against the Houston Rockets. Houston has had the number of the Grizzlies so far this season, and another bad loss may send Memphis spiraling in to the abyss.
But it shouldn’t. Critiques of coaching and execution on the court? Bring it on, if necessary (although the hope is the failure of Monday night ignites something for Thursday - fingers crossed).
Still, the Grizzlies are having a good season - warts and all. That shined through the last few days in national recognition members of the team have received.
First? Jaren Jackson Jr. is the reigning Western Conference Player of the Week - the first such honor of his career. Keep your “he did it against trash teams” takes to yourself. Jaren has been a 2nd Team All-NBA caliber player for some time now. He is a game wrecker on both ends of the floor, and the MVP of the Grizzlies franchise so far this season.
On top of that. Both Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells were named to the NBA’s Rising Stars event. That’s two Memphis draft picks that have started numerous games for the Grizzlies given all the injury issues on the wing in particular. Edey was always supposed to be impactful - he has been a favorite for Rookie of the Year since he was drafted. But it is Wells who has pleasantly surprised, becoming a front runner for RoY in his own right and helping Memphis stay near the top of the NBA even without much from Vince Williams Jr. or Marcus Smart.
Perspective is really hard to keep in a long NBA season. And there are no star-level players on rookie contracts anymore. Desmond Bane, Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr...you’re talking hundreds of millions of dollars on the floor. It is time to compete. It is time to win - no doubt.
But one game does not a season make. Over the larger sample size, we’ve seen unexpected rises and total takeovers in the best way for Memphis. That matters, too.
Work must be done to improve. Keep up your head, though. There’s a lot to be excited about for the Grizzlies as well.
