Chris Herrington breaks down what the Memphis Grizzlies were saying one day after their 2024-25 season ended and what he thinks it really means.

There have been a lot of whispers in recent weeks of the potential for major change on the Grizzlies roster this summer.

“As overmatched as the Grizzlies often seemed, there’s every reason to believe this series would have been going back to Oklahoma City 2-2 if Ja Morant hadn’t gotten hurt in Game 3.”

The Memphis Grizzlies think they found a formula to combat the Oklahoma City Thunder. But is there any hope of deploying it without Ja Morant?

With Ja Morant finding his rhythm as both a scorer and a playmaker, the Grizzlies were about to win Game 3. And then it all evaporated in the split second between contact and collapse. 

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Win or lose, the “we’re in this together” energy can enrich a community. Memphis now gets at least two chances to show it in this series.

Tuesday night in Oklahoma City, after his team’s 118-99 Game 2 loss, was as close as Memphis Grizzlies interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo has seemed to angry.

Jackson’s career playoff averages are: 15 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks, shooting 39% from the floor and 33% from 3-point range. Can he do more than that Tuesday night in Game 2?

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The Grizzlies lost Game 1 to Oklahoma City by 51 points, and as interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo said, “It’s very hard to play worse than this.”

It’s been too long since Memphis Grizzlies fans have seen, heard and felt postseason hoops. Whatever comes next, everyone invested in the enterprise needed this. 

The Mavs were in the NBA Finals last spring and then added title-tested veteran Klay Thompson in the offseason to aid what they hoped would be another run.

Are the five games since interim coach Tuomas Iisalo took over progress or variance and what are the latest player trends for the Memphis Grizzlies? 

We are only hours away from getting answers to how the players will respond and just how different Interim Coach Tuomas Iisalo’s lineups, rotations and game strategies will or even can be.

Now new-this-season lead assistant turned interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo will take the reins, at least through the rest of this season and the playoffs.

“With 11 games to play as the Grizzlies get ready to face Utah on Tuesday night, the team currently just below the NBA’s ‘play-in’ line. These are precarious times and have just grown more so.”

The Cavs are something like what the Grizzlies could be. They made it clear Friday night.

Basketball players, like other humans, are complex, and maybe Morant more than most. There’s no precise formula to get the best of Morant on the floor with mood, health, on-court approach and on-court outcomes all interrelated.

Ja Morant’s last shot missed, costing the Grizzlies the game against New York. But he had 25 points and seven assists in this one. It was 29 and eight against Phoenix. It was 21 and 10 in a close loss to Cleveland. And 23 and five in the win at Orlando.

In this first installment of the Mid-Season Mailbag, Herrington takes questions on the trade deadline, the post-deadline Western Conference landscape and the team’s core stars. 

Was the draft-pick cost of the deal and the short-term risk of sapping the team’s depth and experience worth whatever flexibility is gained next summer? 

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A single loss has to be pretty bad to wipe away the good vibes of a six-game winning streak.

The Grizzlies have hit the midpoint of the NBA season, so it is time for the mid-season check-in. Are the Grizzlies a contender? How are the stars and supporting cast? How’s the system?

No evidence of Grizzlies interest in Jimmy Butler doesn’t necessarily mean there’s no interest. But if you look closely at the parameters and complications of a potential Butler deal, it still feels pretty unlikely.

This year’s list gives us strippers, tennis players, boys, daughters, jurors and hundreds of beavers. Plus, there are “Special Jury (of One)” prizes.