Chris Dodson Articles - Page 3

The Memphis Grizzlies will not be caught off guard by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in an NBA Playoffs Game 2 tilt. At least, that is what Scotty Pippen Jr. stated after the Grizzlies took a historically bad loss on the chin Easter Sunday. Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Zach Edey talked about […]

The Memphis Grizzlies were embarrassed by the Oklahoma City Thunder 131-80 in Game 1 of their NBA Playoffs first-round face-off. After a lopsided, historically bad loss on Easter Sunday, Ja Morant is making guarantees for the regrouping Grizzlies. Scotty Pippen Jr. is being more practical, emphasizing a forward-focused mindset. Adapting to how Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder […]

The Memphis Grizzlies have undergone notable shifts since promoting Tuomas Iisalo to interim head coach. Not all of them have been a success in the small ten-game sample size provided, including the 121-116 NBA Play-In Tournament loss to the Golden State Warriors. While Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. will shoulder most of […]

The firing of Taylor Jenkins on March 28, 2025, and the promotion of Tuomas Iisalo to interim head coach of Ja Morant’s foxhole-fighting Memphis Grizzlies introduced a period of adjustment. This was a team struggling with inconsistency, turnovers, and above .500 teams all season after all, so something had to be done. Thankfully, Morant, Jaren […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are hoping Ja Morant can go full speed in a do-or-die NBA Play-In Tournament elimination game. If not, interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo will have to give Scotty Pippen Jr. a shot at setting the table for Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. on offense. Defensively, the Hall of Famer’s son will […]

The Memphis Grizzlies were still miffed by the missed calls at the end of an NBA Play-In Tournament tug of war with the Golden State Warriors as they hopped on the plane home. Interim head coach Tuomas Ilsalo’s most important task over the next two days is getting the locker room to let it all […]

The New Orleans Pelicans and Zion Williamson marriage is being stressed once again. Sources have indicated Joe Dumars wants to try building a relationship with the All-NBA talent before making any rash decisions. However, the most powerful decision makers in New Orleans are apparently fed up with Williamson’s constant off-court drama. Between injury mitigation and […]

The New Orleans Pelicans are cleaning house after firing Executive Vice President David Griffin. Louisiana native and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Joe Dumars has emerged as the leading candidate to take over the top executive role Griffin held. However, a deal with Dumar is “not over the line yet,” sources told ClutchPoints. The team […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are having a hard time getting everyone on the same page before the NBA Playoffs begin. The most recent setback, a 141-125 home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, exposed more than a few flaws with Tuomas Iisalo’s new frontcourt configurations. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey seem to be reading from different […]

The NBA Playoffs bracket is starting to become clearer after Ja Morant’s misfiring Memphis Grizzlies (47-33) fell to Anthony Edwards’ trash-talking Minnesota Timberwolves (47-33) in the third-to-last game of the regular season. Newly appointed head coach Tuomas Iisalo and the Grizzlies had full control of their destiny going into the game, but the 141-125 loss […]

A crowded NBA Western Conference Playoffs race is getting more chaotic by the day. Amid the swings in the standings, some stars are starting to pick open fights with the league office, mostly over foul calls. Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant poured extra fuel on a drama-filled fire during a road win over the Charlotte […]

The busted-up Memphis Grizzlies are showing signs of a turnaround under new head coach Tuomas Iisalo. Ja Morant has embraced the villain role and is celebrating in the league’s face like money does not matter. NBA Sixth Man of the Year candidate Santi Aldama told ClutchPoints there is a real belief in the locker room […]

Amid an 0-3 start to his NBA coaching career, Tuomas Iisalo finds himself thrust into the heart of an all shook up Memphis Grizzlies locker room grappling with the sting of defeat and the weight of a franchise-altering decision. With just six games remaining in the regular season, the front office’s stunning move to replace […]

The Memphis Grizzlies needed a refresh after falling down the Western Conference standings in their own wayward version of March Madness. Now Ja Morant and Desmond Bane are balancing the ball-handling duties more equitably of late, leaving Jaren Jackson Jr. to do what the Defensive Player of the Year does best. Tuomas Iisalo, who took […]

Tuomas Iisalo’s tenure leading a Ja Morant-led Memphis Grizzlies squad experiencing a mid-season crisis has gotten off to a rocky 0-3 start against an historically difficult schedule. The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics got first dibs at the Finnish coach. Then Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors (44-31) handed Iisalo’s Grizzlies (44-32) a third straight […]

After a disheartening 134-125 loss to Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors (44-31) on April Fool’s Day, the totally reset Memphis Grizzlies (44-32) dropped to sixth in the Western Conference standings. A team sitting in second place for most of the season is now in an intensifying fight to secure a top-six seed and avoid the […]

With time running out before the NBA Playoffs begin, Tuomas Iisalo is putting his stamp on the team’s offense, reimagining how stars Ja Morant and Desmond Bane share the table-setting, point guard duties. In just a few days since taking over the struggling, quickly slipping Memphis Grizzlies, Iisalo has already reshaped how Bane and Morant […]

Tuomas Iisalo’s four-game debut as an NBA head coach is going down in the history books as the most difficult job-opening, mid-season slate in sports. Ja Morant’s struggling to survive Memphis Grizzlies dropped their first two games under Iisalo, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers (134-127) and defending champion Boston Celtics (117-103) two nights later. […]

The Memphis Grizzlies were hoping Tuomas Iisalo would provide a new-coach bump, but LeBron James and Luka Doncic put an end to those plans quickly. Ja Morant (hamstring/shoulder) was able to give the new head coach 31 minutes, managing 22 points (9-23 FGA), 10 assists, eight rebounds, and a steal. However, the Los Angeles Lakers […]

The feisty, in-fighting Memphis Grizzlies shook off a sluggish start to dominate the Utah Jazz (140-103),  snapping a three-game losing streak. Desmond Bane (21 points, four rebounds, six assists, one steal, one block) led by example and even sparked up a heated conversation with Santi Aldama after Jaren Jackson Jr. went to the locker room. […]

The Memphis Grizzlies need to flip the script for the NBA regular-season stretch run, especially with Ja Morant (hamstring/shoulder) nursing multiple injuries. With Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama still knocking off rust related to their respective stints on the sidelines, Taylor Jenkins has enough data to trust Desmond Bane with the keys to the offense. […]

It is getting hard to ignore how the fifth-placed Memphis Grizzlies have been getting bullied off of the boards and out of the paint recently. Unfortunately, Santi Aldama is more of a sharpshooting, backdoor-cutting swingman who cannot be counted on to come up with rebounds or rim protection consistently. Thankfully, the fix is straightforward. Jaren […]

It’s been a tough 2025 for Ja Morant’s gut-punched Memphis Grizzlies as they keep taking uppercuts to the chin that would make the late George Foreman blush. Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr, and Desmond Bane have all spent time on the shelf due to injuries. Taylor Jenkins has been juggling lineups while remaining uncommittal when it […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are searching for answers with just under a dozen games left in the regular season. Taylor Jenkins needs someone to step up soon or Ja Morant and Desmond Bane will have to shoulder immense offensive burdens. Sure, Santi Aldama, Scotty Pippen Jr., and Jaylen Wells are a formidable secondary trio but the […]

The Memphis Grizzlies keep getting stark reminders that ingredients are missing from their recipe for success in the Western Conference. Unforced errors leading to turnovers and foul trouble are two huge on-court issues. However, The Grizzlies (43-28) are grappling with a rash of injuries that have derailed their momentum at a critical juncture. Ja Morant […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are getting plenty of wake-up calls lately, though it seems the locker room is not quite responding to the alarms. A 128-108 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers is just another bump in the road for Taylor Jenkins as the NBA Playoffs loom. Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke were out due to […]

The under-fire Memphis Grizzlies have a problem: they practically give away points to Western Conference foes and the FedEx Forum’s most loyal fans are losing faith. Yes, there are a lot of Fs to go around the grading scale in this locker room. While Taylor Jenkins has noticed some improvement recently, second-chance points, turnovers, fast break […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are facing odd-man-out situations in more ways than one as the 2024-25 NBA regular season winds down. Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. have been battling injuries all season, leaving Taylor Jenkins to make some difficult rotational decisions. Lineup inconsistency has been the main factor in Memphis falling down the […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are still waiting for an X-factor to emerge from a rotating cast of bench options while Santi Aldama heals up. Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane have all spent significant time on the shelf recently as well, putting even more pressure on the second unit. However, these absences have given […]

It is becoming easier for fans to admit Ja Morant’s Memphis Grizzlies have a problem. Ignoring some issues is impossible this late in the season, especially after a 132-122 loss to the Sacramento Kings (34-33) kicked off a five-game road trip. The fifth-placed Grizzlies (43-26), led by Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane, will […]

The Memphis Grizzlies answered toughness questions after a four-game skid but talent questions remain as the NBA Playoffs picture shapes up. Ja Morant and Desmond Bane are locked in on a four-game winning streak now and should see an uptick in on-court time once the elimination stage begins. The Grizzlies are still waiting for Jaren […]

Relationships are built on the same cornerstones regardless of their nature. Talking things out and taking consideration of how the key stakeholders feel about a particular move are essential to strong bonds. Taylor Jenkins has been encouraging Memphis Grizzlies stars Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. to communicate more often down the stretch […]

After a narrow 120-118 home victory over a disappointed Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns, Taylor Jenkins praised the Memphis Grizzlies and Ja Morant’s resiliency amid some recent challenges as a driving force behind their ability to overcome offensive struggles. Morant’s misfiring Grizzlies have been battling through a teamwide shooting slump, but Jenkins is confident […]

A rookie’s fearless approach did not just rattle Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns, it ignited Ja Morant’s Memphis Grizzlies and a roaring FedExForum crowd. However, the usual suspects (Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells) took a backseat to Cam Spencer’s trash-talking, which helped Morant propel the Grizzlies to a much-needed 120-118 comeback victory. And forget […]

Skeptics of the Memphis Grizzlies sounded an alarm too soon going by a 120-118 win over Kevin Durant’s Phoenix Suns to start a four-game FedEx Forum homestand. The under fire Ja Morant demonstrated not just his scoring prowess but an uncanny ability to “manipulate” games and manufacture wins for his shorthanded squad. Taylor Jenkins could […]

The regrouping Memphis Grizzlies (40-24) are glad ugly wins count after escaping the Big Easy with a hard-fought, three-point road victory over the New Orleans Pelicans (17-48). While the win provided a momentary sigh of relief, All-Star guard Ja Morant was not in the mood to celebrate half-measures. After sealing the game in clutch moments, […]

Facing a seven-point halftime deficit against the New Orleans Pelicans, Taylor Jenkins faced a critical decision. With All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. sidelined due to an ankle injury and reserve center Brandon Clarke in foul trouble, Jenkins had to get creative with the rotations. Enter Jay Huff, an unheralded reserve patiently waiting for a moment. The […]

The regrouped Memphis Grizzlies do not have a leadership crisis, contrary to reports from ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins. However, Taylor Jenkins is starting to lose some patience as the NBA Playoffs loom. The faith in the system is unwavering, but the clock is ticking to turn good looks into made shots. Ja Morant and Desmond Bane […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are banking on more than just their star trio of Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr. to fuel a deep NBA Playoffs run. While All-Stars lift championship windows toward the ceiling, role players who can thrive under pressure anchor those NBA Finals expectations. With minutes tightening and the stakes rising, […]