The Memphis Grizzlies travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder tonight, December 18th, in the final game before some combination of reinforcements arrive from suspension or injury. The game will tip off at 7:00 pm and is available on NBA TV for out-of-market audiences or Bally Sports for in-market audiences.
The 24-game mark gives an excellent view of the team’s state before Ja Morant’s return, and a key takeaway is clear: Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. are hot and have improved in this stretch despite the losses.
Bane has maintained a consistent average of 25 points, five rebounds, and five assists, all while receiving the majority of defensive attention. Further, 38% from three is wildly efficient for a player who has to cut, relocate, and dribble several times in a possession just to get a closely contested shot off. Morant’s return will demand enough defensive attention to make Bane’s job easier.
Meanwhile, Jackson Jr. is averaging 22 points and six rebounds. Jackson Jr. struggled for most of the season to adjust to seeing a second defender in the paint. However, he has taken his game to a new level recently, raising his PPG to 25 on significantly better shooting splits. With forward recognition of who comes to help and a few surprising new counter moves to adjust, Jackson Jr.’s offensive development will be something to watch for the long term.
Memphis may find themselves without Derrick Rose tonight, who aggravated his hamstring against Houston. There is a good chance his injury will be treated cautiously to preserve him for later in the season. Also, Kenneth Lofton Jr. is to be waived by the Grizzlies to accommodate the lack of roster space.
Bane and Jackson Jr. will need excellent games even to hope to take down the red-hot Thunder, who sit second in the standings for the Western Conference. Led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a likely All-NBA player and deserving of MVP recognition, and Chet Holmgren, who returns to his second first year at an All-Star level himself, the young Thunder have taken the leap that marks a new, shifting NBA landscape.
Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the most prolific drivers in the league, with a craft, flexibility, and awareness of his own body that can get him almost anywhere around the rim or in the mid-range. His engine will push the pace inside-out as much as possible. Players like Holmgren and Isaiah Joe stretch the floor and give Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams room to operate off-the-dribble, where they both thrive.
Point-of-attack defense, a weakness of the Grizzlies, will be the key to this game. Wing defenders must be rigid and contest as best as possible without fouling Gilgeous-Alexander, while also avoiding over helping off of some of the better perimeter players. If possible, setting the tone and making players like Josh Giddey or Lu Dort have to score can make a significant difference.
None of that will matter, though, if Roddy, Ziaire, or LaRavia show nothing, an unfortunate piece of many losses this year. Vince Williams Jr. has earned the significant minutes that he now receives, yet someone else must step up. Bane and Jackson Jr. can’t do it all.
Tune in tonight to see the Memphis Grizzlies take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in what will be an exciting match, the final game without Ja Morant.