The Grizzlies are looking for solutions to compensate for the absence of Desmond Bane

Last season, almost at the same time, Memphis lost Ja Morant to a sprained knee. The troops of Taylor Jenkins had then perfectly managed to get away with winning ten games out of twelve during the convalescence of their leader.

A year later, a similar ordeal struck the Grizzlies since Desmond Bane, hit in the toe, will not return until December. In his absence, Memphis has so far suffered three defeats, including another setback on Tuesday evening, despite the Ja Morant festival.

It is therefore time to look for alternatives, especially since Bane has entered a new dimension with his 25-point average, and Ziaire Williams will not return until mid-December. For Taylor Jenkins, the defensive level has been satisfactory. It’s more in attack, where Desmond Bane’s qualities as a shooter, and more generally the danger he brings, are lacking in the good performance of the collective.

“There is no need to overreact. I think overall our defense has been pretty good. We just have to find a way to play better in attack.”, did he declare. “Desmond is so important to what we do on both sides of the floor. It’s up to others to step up, that’s always the mentality we’ve had. You can’t replace what Desmond was doing, but I still challenged my guys every day.”

A collective response

The first player in sight to support Ja Morant in scoring, Dillon Brooks, capable of surfing above 20 points per game on average per period, without necessarily having to take 20 shots as he approached on Tuesday in Louisiana (19 points to 6/18 shooting).

“I have to shoot better”he admitted after the meeting. “I missed a lot of open shots. I have to finish better. It’s not about waiting for someone to score, but about sharing the ball better”.

Tyus Jones or John Konchar, promoted to the five major in the absence of Desmond Bane, are other solutions. There is also the return of Jaren Jackson Jr. who can help, even if the interior still has to adjust the sights after playing his first game of the season on Tuesday, with inevitably a little waste (3/14 shooting, including 0/7 to 3-pointers).

“I felt as good as possible. There were probably times when I was tired, but I didn’t play that much (25 minutes editor’s note). I will feel better from match to match”he confided.

Beyond individual cases, the response will also go through the collective, as always in Memphis. The objective is also to have enough weapons alongside Ja Morant so as not to have to put too much pressure on the leader, who will not be able to turn into a superhero every evening. Tomorrow, the Grizzlies will move on to reveal the Thunder, which remains for its part on three wins in four games.