The mood around the Grizzlies is starting to feel heavy, writes Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports. And the Ja Morant-Tuomas Iisalo dynamic looked icy during Wednesday’s 124-109 loss to the Rockets.
Memphis is learning a new system. Houston is too. But Iko wrote that the contrast between Amen Thompson’s bench support and Morant’s isolation was hard to miss. Morant’s body language seemed off from morning shootaround to the final buzzer, Iko wrote.
He barely spoke to Iisalo. During timeouts, he sat alone at the edges of the bench. No taps. No handshakes. No reaffirming communication. Just tension in FedEx Forum.
Morant finished with 17 points on 6-of-19 shooting with six turnovers. Memphis has dropped four straight.
The offense is clunky. The spacing is limited. Jaren Jackson Jr.’s usage has cratered. The team that once wore arrogance and swagger like a badge is now staring at doubt and hesitation. That much is evident.
Morant owned it postgame. He said he needs to read defenses better and take smarter shots. Iisalo said confidence only returns when you win, that losing exposes everything.
And here they are. Grizzlies fans tired of watching paint dry. Morant frustrated. Jackson marginalized. Iisalo already feeling the pressure.
This looks nothing like the Memphis brand that used to punch first.
“Just turn the page,” Morant said, via Iko. “Come in tomorrow, have a good day of practice and watch the film. Go over the things we need to correct. Guys and coaches speak their mind and be ready to go for the next game.”
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