Playing Abstract Grizzlies, We Really Can’t Understand

The new season has just begun, and many teams are facing considerable difficulties. The Pelicans and Nets have not won a game. The Nets can understand, after all, there is not a single All-Star in the lineup; Thomas, who is the best player on the team, has an annual salary of only 6 million. The overall strength is indeed limited, and it is normal to perform badly. However, the Pelicans have Zion and a young star like Poole who is at the peak of his career. It is a bit puzzling that he started to fail so early. In addition, there are also teams that are currently performing far below expectations. For example, the Mavericks, with 2 wins and 4 losses, are currently second to last in the Western Conference; Irving has not returned yet, his thick eyebrow is injured, and Thompson's efficiency has seriously declined; Flagg, the much-anticipated new draft pick, is far from what everyone expected. His shooting percentage in the first 6 games was only 37.3%.

Of course, with such a miserable start, the Mavericks at least did not engage in internal strife; and there is still one team in the league that has had internal strife, and that is the Grizzlies. In the most recent game, the Grizzlies lost to the Lakers by 5 points. It was obvious in the game that the Grizzlies star Morant had some problems. Morant made 3 of 14 shots from the field and 0 of 6 three-pointers. He only scored 8 points, 1 rebound and 7 assists. He only took one shot in the penalty area in the whole game, and Morant himself is the kind of player with strong explosive power and strong ability to hit the basket. It is very abnormal to only take one shot under the basket. During the game, almost as soon as the half was over, Morant threw the ball away, leaving the role players to play by themselves, but he himself had no desire to attack. Not only in this game, but also against the Heat earlier, Morant also had no sense of presence.

In the end, the Grizzlies defeated the Heat by 32 points. Morant made only 4 of 16 shots and scored 12 points and 6 assists. So far this season, his averages are only 20.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game, which is obviously not up to standard. His three-point shooting rate is as low as 16%, and he is shooting randomly here. Okay, here comes the point. After losing to the Lakers, at the Grizzlies' press conference, when Morant was asked about personal performance-related issues, he said directly: "Ask the coaching staff." Later, when asked about what the team could have done better, Morant said: "According to their meaning, I probably shouldn't be allowed to play. NBA officials criticized Morant for his remarks. As a result, Morant was suspended for one game and will lose $272,042.

In fact, as early as last year's offseason, the Grizzlies management purged former coach Jenkins, which had caused Morant's dissatisfaction. The new coach Thomas Isalo emphasized the tactical concept of running without the ball and team sharing, which once caused Morant's resistance. Personally speaking, Morant's current head coach may prefer him to participate in shooting and finishing, rather than being better at facing the basket. In fact, it is definitely a good thing for Morant to practice more shooting, but he is unwilling to step out of his comfort zone. In contrast, Edwards, the star of the Timberwolves, relied on athleticism and explosiveness to dominate the game in the early days. Last season, Edwards shot 39.5% from three-point range and averaged 4.1 shots per game, ranking first in the league in total output.

Two or three years ago, Morant averaged 27 points per game. At that time, he was highly praised by the league and was one of the most popular and popular young stars, even more so than at the same time. Alexander and Edwards are both still good. He can almost dominate the top ten highlights. But now, Morant can't even see the tail lights of SGA and Huazi, and the league no longer pays attention to him as before. If Morant's condition does not decline in the past few years and he does not do so many things off the court, now it is up to him to get the whistle. It has a lot to do with his overly flamboyant personality. As a star player, he taunted other teams at will. He was banned by the league for live broadcasting a gun incident. These things also caused some minor friction between him and the team.

It is also a pity for the Grizzlies. They were once the biggest dark horse in the Western Conference and ranked first in the Western Conference in 2022. Everyone knows the saying "no rival in the West." When Morant led the team, the Grizzlies also set a record for the largest point difference in NBA history-beating the Thunder by 73 points in a single game. However, now, the Thunder has evolved into a championship-level team, while the Grizzlies are still standing still, and even their strength is not as good as before. They lost by 32 points and lost by 5 points! The first team in the new season is the dark horse of the West. Although the Grizzlies' current record is impressive, ranking 9th in the Western Conference with 3 wins and 3 losses, the team is probably not far away from disintegration. Morant's heart is no longer here, and it will be difficult for the Grizzlies to continue to maintain a winning rate of about 50% in subsequent games. Regarding Morant's next home, perhaps the Rockets are the most suitable. The Rockets are short of defenders.