The Memphis Grizzlies will be without Desmond Bane and Marcus Smart for at least the first week of November. Zach Edey and Jaylen Wells are doing fine, but are far from proven commodities after just a handful of actual NBA games. Taylor Jenkins is not worried about treading water in the Western Conference though. Ja Morant's new self-aware approach and amped-up defensive leadership have the Grizzlies hitting a new gear offensively, per the head coach.
“It starts with our defense,” Jenkins stated. “When you've got Ja setting the tone with that, guys like Jaylen Wells and Scotty Pippen Jr. getting opportunities defensively, our big blocking shots, protecting the paint, you add it all together and it ignites our offense.”
Morant's mindset is doing more than setting a tone for the team. Jenkins was spotted jumping with joy and mentioned a few Morant plays that will be shown during the next film study session. He also explained why the emotions came out, even though it was early in the game not to mention the season.
“I let (the emotions) out because it was the totality of the cycles,” Jenkins said. “We showed it at halftime. Look at our defense and what it fuels on offense. This is where we have to get our pace going…We are still a work in progress with our defensive activity. I hit Ja and said ‘You know, I think you dove on the floor or came up with 50/50 balls three different times tonight' and it sparked our offense.”
The Grizzlies were sparked indeed. Edey, Pippen Jr., Morant, and Santi Aldama pulled off some Memphis history, as all four posted double-doubles on the stat sheet. At that rate, it will be hard for any team to match up with Memphis this season.
Ja Morant pacing mile-a-minute Grizzlies
The Grizzlies (4-3) made mincemeat of the Philadelphia 76ers (1-4) to notch another big road win. Ja Morant needed a few minutes to figure out the coverage before Memphis created a comfortable lead. The Grizzlies won the second (11) and third (10) quarters by a combined 21 points. A tied fourth quarter was all but a formality with the 76ers playing without Joel Embiid and Paul George.
Jenkins was more worried about how the Grizzlies were handling business while Morant made sure his head coach was impressed.
“(Morant) doing what it takes to win, on-ball defense, I think he was pressuring the ball, saw the ball on the floor, and dove on it. There was a situation where he was on his back and you don't know what is going to happen, but you knew something good was going to happen,” admitted Jenkins. “I think it led to an and-1 dunk for (Jay Huff). Jay had a few threes before that but wound up with the and-1 dunk.”
It also led to Jenkins leaping around like a kid on Christmas Day, for good reason. The head coach's message is starting to take hold in a re-adjusting locker room and the Grizzlies are starting to look like a Western Conference contender.
Follow Us
Subscribe
