For most teams, the sight of a superstar like Ja Morant limping off the floor in the fourth quarter would trigger a crisis. For Jaren Jackson Jr.'s new-look Memphis Grizzlies, it was merely the latest chapter in a season-long manual on adaptation Tuomas Iisalo has been forced to write from scratch. Morant left in the fourth quarter in a win over the LA Clippers with an apparent ankle injury, a potential setback that could derail a lesser squad’s continuity.
Fortunately for Iisalo, the Grizzlies responded with hardened resolve, not panic. This group’s identity has been forged in the fire of perpetual absences after all.
“We had a very, I don't know what the word is, but like Jaren and Ja basically didn't have a preseason with us,” Iisalo began. “Ja got injured before the first game; Jaren was out for the whole lead-up, played two practice games with us.”
That was the opening act of an injury saga that forced a roster recalculation before the season even tipped off. Absences extended beyond the stars, forcing wholesale adjustments from the outset. The point guard depth evaporated, and the frontcourt plan was scrapped.
“Ty Jerome was out. We started the season essentially without point guards,” added the Finnish tactician. “(Jock Landale) was going to be our third center, but we started without Brandon Clarke and Zach Edey. That just put us in a very, very difficult spot early on where we had to not only find a groove within the different lineups and different types of systems from before but also they were in different roles that those players were in before and bigger roles.”
Rather than succumb to the chaos, the Grizzzlies have embraced it.
Ja Morant's Grizzlies move on
The coaching staff and players committed to daily adjustments, treating each obstacle as a problem to solve rather than an excuse for failure.
“There were a multitude of things then that set us back,” Iisalo explained. “What we did was just keep working. All the credit goes to the guys who've been working day after day, week after week. We've been trying to turn that into a positive and into a strength. Instead of feeling sorry for ourselves and figuring out all about why this won't work, we just put our working hats on to try to make it work. We're figuring out solutions game by game, how we can make it better.”
This approach has forged a team that is unconventional by necessity, its system a custom-built patchwork for its available parts. So when Morant went down, the adjustment was not a scramble for a new miracle but the application of a painful, earned muscle memory. The Grizzlies have already been playing the “next man up” symphony for weeks.
“It looks very different than most teams play right now,” admitted Iisalo. “That is because of the guys' skill sets and how they interact with each other is very different. So no real magic tricks, just a lot of work and analysis and then synthesis into a game.”
That final line underscored why Memphis is not panicking in the wake of another Ja Morant injury scare. Iisalo will not be improvising or merely hoping for the best. These Grizzlies are relying on habits forged through a season spent recalibrating roles, redefining lineups, and learning how to win amid all adversity.
