What’s suddenly happened to the Memphis Grizzlies? They looked like the bookies’ favourites to challenge the Thunder as the top dogs of the West in the first half. Fast forward to March, and they’ve sacked Taylor Jenkins, slumped to 5th, and are heading into the Celtics game with back-to-back losses. I can’t even begin to imagine what they’d be if Ja Morant wasn’t doing Ja Morant things.
You can see the dependency issues despite him just playing 44 games this season. He’s clearly the spearhead of their attack- which looks embarrassingly blunt without him. Will new HC Tuomas Iisalo have him in the squad tonight against a terrifying Boston side?
Grizzlies injury report ahead of Celtics clash
Ja Magic Man, they need your magic to shine at the FedEx tonight. His hamstring injury against the Cavs a couple of weeks ago caused him to miss 6 consecutive games. During the second quarter, Morant was driving hard in transition when he suddenly slowed down mid-drive. He was taken off the court, with postgame MRIs revealing that he’d suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain. Any surprise that they lost 4 of those games? Coach Jenkins had talked about his importance in their attack, and had touched on his progress before getting fired.
“It was something that happened in the game,” Jenkins said. “It was kind of what came out of the Cleveland game… He’s making a lot of great progress. He’s working his tail off to get back out there. We’re excited to get him back out there. He is, too.”
Even in his return against the Lakers, Morant managed a 22/8/10 double-double, looking like the only attacker trying to salvage a result. He was listed as questionable for that game. Fortunately, he’s been given the green light and is set to play against the Celtics tonight.
Credit: Imagn
Their defensive woes are quickly dampened by the fact that they got Jaren Jackson Jr. on the squad. Even as a center, known for his defensive ability around the rim and blocking prowess, he’s averaged 22.4/5.6/2.1 this season while shooting nearly 50% from the field. Where would they be without JJJ? Maybe that’s a thought for another day, as he’s also set to play against the Celtics tonight.
The only confirmed absentee in the Grizzlies squad is guard Zyon Pullin, who’s out due to a knee injury. But that doesn’t really dent their rotation as much, considering his 3 appearances for the main squad since signing a two-way contract with them earlier this season.
Grizzlies predicted lineup against Celtics
So, Ja Morant and JJJ are set to play. They did lose to the Lakers and Thunder, but their free-flowing attack did highlight their new coach’s philosophy well. Considering this, let’s look at the Grizzlies’ predicted lineup for the Celtics game:
Point Guard
Ja Morant
Shooting Guard
Desmond Bane
Power Forward
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Small Forward
Jaylen Wells
Center
Zach Edey
Ja will be going up against Derrick White tonight, one of the best two-way guards in the league. Memphis did win their last game against Boston, snapping the Greens’ 6-game winning run against the Grizzlies. Do you think they have it in them to make it back-to-back wins against the Celtics since November 2014?
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