Memphis has had some bad losses this year. They dropped a game in Phoenix. They’ve blown sizable late game leads on the road against the Clippers and Kings. The recent demolition at the hands of the Raptors had Grizzlies Twitter calling for everyone’s head, trade everyone, and tear the whole thing down.

Things I'd do if I ran the Grizzlies-

– Fire Bickerstaff before he got off the plane in Memphis.
– Name Stackhouse Interim HC, have him interview in summer for job. ACTUALLY INTERVIEW OTHERS.
– Trade Marc/Mike, and anyone not named Jaren or Kyle is available for the right price.

— Grizzly Bear Blues (@sbnGrizzlies) January 20, 2019

But this game was a new low on the season. Memphis hadn’t had a nationally television game all year until this match with the Pelicans. It went even worse than you think.

This is the fewest points the Pelicans have given up all season…by 10 points. Without Anthony Davis.

The Pelicans have given up over 100 points in all but five of their games…two of those games coming against the Grizzlies.

— Joe Mullinax (@JoeMullinax) January 22, 2019

Anthony Davis is one of the premier defensive talents in the NBA. If he is missing a game, his team shouldn’t hold its opponent to a season low points allowed.. by 10 points. The Pelicans are just bad when Davis isn’t on the court. In the minutes this season featuring Davis, New Orleans has a net rating of +4.4. Before last night’s game, that number plummeted to -4.2 when Davis sits. After last night’s, that net rating moved to a -2.8 without Davis. That is quite the shift from one a single shellacking.

Bad Offense Against a Depleted Defense

Again, without Davis, Memphis managed just 85 points, shot 25.7% from three, and 37.5% from the field. They couldn’t even hit their free throws, bricking their way to 58.8% from the stripe on a 10/17 line. The team posted an 89.5 offensive rating and a nauseating 42.6% eFG%.

Just three players hit double figures; Marc Gasol (22), Mike Conley (20), and Jaren Jackson Jr. (14). Only Conley was at least moderately efficient (20 points on 15 shots). Justin Holiday, Garrett Temple, and JaMychal Green combined to go 8/29 from the field (27.6%). Jevon Carter, Shelvin Mack, and Yuta Watanabe combined for 2 total points in 35 minutes of floor time.

The team is hurting, literally. At this point Gasol probably has about 12 different injuries. Kyle Anderson is both out and sorely missed. Chandler Parsons and the team are having a reverse Kawhi Leonard moment.

Memphis is now 7-23 since November 23rd. They are 29th in offensive rating since that date. While tonight was alarmingly bad, this has been festering for nearly two months.

Bad Defense

Four Pelicans reached 20 points. None of them are named Anthony Davis. You probably guessed three; Jrue Holiday, Julius Randle, and Nikola Mirotic. The fourth was Jahlil Okafor. The last time Okafor had 20 points in a game was January 27th, 2018. It had been almost a calendar year. He added 10 rebounds to boot. The last time Okafor went for 20 and 10? February 25th, 2017.

New Orleans hit 52.7% of their shots from the floor and drew 26 free throw attempts. The Pelicans put up a 58.8% eFG%. The Grizzlies lost the defensive rebounding battle 43-25, in a game Anthony Davis didn’t play!

Over the last 30 games Memphis is 12th in defensive rating. The Grizzlies raced out to a 12-5 start on the season due to an elite defense. Falling back to above-average coupled with an offense better than only the Bulls makes you reconsider just how far down the lottery Memphis can get.

Once upon a time, Marc Gasol had an argument as defensive player of the year. At that point Gasol ranked 3rd in D-PIPM, and 2nd in DRPM. The drop off since then (December 6, 2018) has been staggering. To date, Gasol has fallen to 26th in D-PIPM, and 21st in DRPM. That is some tumble in just six weeks.

What Now?

It’s hard to say. The trade deadline is approaching and Memphis has competing interests in whether or not to tank. Chris Wallace has over stayed his welcome, that much is true. We can explore the deadline and Wallace’s tenure in future articles to come, but for now, to end on a positive, here is Jaren Jackson Jr. dunking Nikola Mirotic back to Montenegro.

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