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The Ja Morant-led Memphis Grizzlies are not “doomed” quite yet but the team is nervously counting down the days until the NBA Playoffs begin. A season that began with championship aspirations has been repeatedly undermined by a glaring weakness: an inability to secure rebounds against the NBA’s elite. Taylor Jenkins laid bare this flaw following a 129-123 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He called rebounding the team’s “Achilles heel” while defending Jaren Jackson Jr.'s one shortcoming over shouts from some critics.
Fans again turned their postgame ire to the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year after the defeat but the rebounding weaknesses are apparently a schematic issue. Jenkins noted the Grizzlies often funnel drivers into Jackson Jr., prioritizing shot-blocking over positioning for boards, when talking about the 25-year-old's importance in how the Grizzlies are trying to play.
“(Jackson Jr.) is huge (for us),” Jenkins stressed. “With the speed and physicality of this sport, at times we are funneling guys to him by design so that puts the onus on him to make sure he’s protecting the rim without fouling. We need him on the floor. We know how impactful he is to our winning success and team success.”
The Grizzles are not usually worried about foul trouble either. Jenkins trusts Jackson Jr. to play with some discretion after any early whistles. That progression has not been a problem.
“(Jackson Jr.) has only gotten better each and every year just with the timing of blocks,” noted Jenkins. “(It's) guys going to his body (and) how he was able to maintain verticality and still get his hands on a ball. It’s unbelievable. You see him getting steals and anticipation on drives. It’s awesome to see his growth, but it’s unique, and not many people can do it.”
But should the Grizzlies keep grinding away with this game plan if elite teams can easily exploit an obvious weakness in the tactics? Jenkins sounds confident but the season's stats and most recent one-game sample size suggest something will have to give sooner or later.
Memphis had to move Jackson Jr. to the bench for long stretches in the loss to Cleveland. First came a loose ball foul with just under seven minutes remaining in the first quarter. No coach cares about a hustle foul after five minutes of action. An aggressive offensive foul with just over a minute remaining in the first half is fine as well. A loose ball less than 30 seconds later is troublesome, but manageable.
Fouls add up when good teams attack though and the two-time NBA All-Star picked up a fourth less than two minutes into the second half. The Grizzlies were up 63-62 at the time, their last lead. A fifth foul with 9:28 on the fourth-quarter clock all but killed the comeback odds. Jackson Jr. re-entered the game at the 6:08 mark with the Grizzlies down 11. Jenkins thought the locker room leader handled the setback well all things considered.
“Overall, (Jackson Jr.) has done great all season long with blocked shots, steals, and his mentality when he’s in the situations,” Jenkins shared. “You see how he came in the fourth quarter after he sat for 10 minutes in the third quarter. He came out and he had a big impact in the fourth quarter, especially late. I'm proud of him.”
The Grizzlies will have no problem shaking off a road loss at the end of a trip to the Eastern Conference's best team. In fact, in a potential NBA Finals matchup, the Cavaliers might have benefited from some post-break ref rust, per Jenkins.
“(Jackson Jr.) wears (losses) hard but this is an anomaly because sometimes I’m not quite sure what’s going on out there,” admitted Jenkins. “There were some that I was like ‘Yeah that was a foul' but I think there were maybe two others that were very questionable. They maybe weren’t called in the first quarter so the consistency (was an issue). I was a little confused there but the call is the call. Sometimes you think you’re gonna challenge it but then you’re not gonna trust the challenge is gonna get overturned given the inconsistency.”
So, sure, Jaren Jackson Jr.’s other responsibilities may partly explain the rebounding dip. Still, while his defensive prowess remains elite, Jackson Jr.'s rebounding regression- and the team’s broader inconsistency- threatens to derail their postseason ambitions. While nowhere near a hot seat, Jenkins should be worried about the downfalls that come with sticking with the status quo.
Grizzlies need more rebounding Grit
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The Grizzlies as a team are second overall in rebounds per game (47.7). Therefore, things cannot be too bad down in Memphis, right? The Grizzlies are fighting for second place out West and Jaren Jackson Jr. leads the NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards race. Fans are steadily buying stock in the Grizzlies as Ja Morant and Desmond Bane build chemistry with Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey's twin-towers attack. So what's up with the boards down on Beale Street?
Jackson Jr.'s rebounding (6.0 RPG) has plateaued over the years, barely upping the percentage rate or per-game stats since a 4.7 boards per night rookie season. It took 58 games as a rookie to snag 73 offensive rebounds. He has 75 offensive rebounds in 55 games this season. Fouls are down, steals are up 136%, and assists have practically doubled over the past six seasons. Somehow Jackson Jr. has only 54 more rebounds in 58 games than he did as a rookie (199) in 58 games.
It has become too easy to take Jackson Jr.'s skillset out of the rebounding equation. Western Conference rivals know the Grizzlies have the talent to compete with anyone in the league but lapses in rebounding is a recurring issue against top-four teams. Memphis is 14th in keeping other teams off the glass and fourth-worst at denying second-chance opportunities after an opponent's missed shot. There is no team-wide conviction or commitment to cleaning the glass when things get too far too often.
Certain trends will be picked apart in a seven-game series. Ingrained flaws come back to haunt teams at the worst times, as does a lack of repetition or responsibility. For example, a funnel to Jackson Jr.'s swat-shotting section of the court leads to fewer individual rebounding opportunities. He is 65th in rebound opportunities per game this season and averages less than one box out (0.8) per game. If the expectation to grab eight rebounds a game is not there, regardless of the situation, that complacency can creep out.
The Grizzlies shrink in big games in general, playing small instead of boxing out. It's not a hot take, it is just what the schedule shows. The Cavaliers won the rebounding battle in a blowout (57-37), with 22 offensive rebounds leading to 31 points. Memphis has a 1-3 record (needing a 120-119 home win to avoid the sweep) against the Houston Rockets this season. The Rockets (193 total rebounds) have 73 offensive rebounds in those four matchups; the Grizzlies (154) have 41 second-chance possessions over those four games.
No team is going to overcome that much of a rebounding deficiency in the NBA Playoffs. The scouting report is out and the Oklahoma City Thunder have solved the Grizzlies riddle. Shai Gilegeous-Alexander's group has 100 rebounds (30 offensive) in two wins over Memphis. That is why Taylor Jenkins and Jaren Jackson Jr. will use the coming five-game homestand as an opportunity to “double down on the things that we know are successful.”
Facing the Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, and Atlanta Hawks give the Grizzlies a chance to work on the fundamentals against teams missing rebounding talent. The fifth game of the homestand is against the Thunder. Circle the date. It's the next opportunity for Jaren Jackson Jr. to grab some All-NBA and NBA Defensive Player of the Year votes.
Well, that and a few extra rebounds over Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams.
