An NBA team is like an ecosystem. And it doesn’t take much to disrupt that fragile network.
Little things can change the dynamics for any team.
Bigger events obviously can have a massive impact, as the Memphis Grizzlies have found this season.
They visited the Mavericks at American Airlines Center on Tuesday just 24 hours after learning that star point guard Ja Morant will miss the rest of the season because of a shoulder injury that will require surgery.
This comes after Morant was suspended for the first 25 games of the season.
The Grizzlies had gone 6-3 in the nine games Morant played and were showing signs of being able to creep into the playoff picture in the Western Conference.
Now? It will be an uphill battle, no doubt. But not an impossible one.
“You got to take the gut-punch, for sure, when the news gets delivered, but then you rally together and no one isolates, no one separates,” Grizzlies’ coach Taylor Jenkins said. “Ja’s right there in front in the team meeting (at Tuesday’s shootaround) talking with his teammates and making sure we’re having the appropriate conversations about where we are as a team and what we have to do moving forward.”
The Grizzlies have one advantage in dealing with the loss of Morant. They played 25 games without him as he served an NBA-mandated suspension. The Grizzlies were 6-19 in that time, but have played much better since his return, even in the games Morant missed, like Sunday’s 121-115 win at Phoenix.
Morant averaged 25.1 points, 8.1 assists and 5.6 rebounds in the nine games he played this season. The Mavericks, by the way, did not see Morant in any of the four meetings with Memphis this season.
Clearly, Memphis isn’t the same without him, just as the Mavericks would not be the same without Luka Dončić.
“You never want to see anyone hurt, especially Ja coming back and the excitement around Memphis,” Mavericks’ coach Jason Kidd said. “To see him out for the season, it’s about peace and healing. He’s going to come back stronger and better. That’s bad for the opponent, but good for Memphis. So we all wish him well and a speedy recovery.”
Kidd has both played on and coached teams that have lost key players. It’s never easy to keep the optimism flowing in those situations.
“The one thing you can say is that they’ve also played without him. So it doesn’t change a lot from early in the season. They’re going to play hard. And they have weapons over there.”
Those weapons were leading the Grizzlies to an 22-point second-quarter lead on Tuesday night.
Morant will have surgery soon, but Jenkins said that the 24-year-old in his fifth season will continue to be with the team if possible.
“Obviously, we’re devastated for Ja. It’s very unfortunate news,” Jenkins said. “These guys really care for each and they really care for Ja. We just kept talking that we’re going to be there for you.”
“Obviously, this is going to be around us the rest of the season, not having him. As devastating as that is in this moment, we got to find the positivity moving forward. Keep his spirits up. Keep our spirits up. My anticipation is that hopefully if everyone signs off that he can travel. So long as it’s medically cleared, that’s our anticipation.”
In the clutch: The Mavericks came into Tuesday’s game with the second-best record in the NBA in clutch games, 12-5.
Clutch games are defined as those in which the score is within five points at some point in the final five minutes of regulation.
Minnesota leads the league at 11-3 in clutch games, but the Mavericks got the better of them in a tight finish at AAC on Sunday.
How have the Mavericks been able to prosper in photo finishes?
“Trust,” Kidd said. “And 77 and 11. Two of the best.”
That would be Dončić and Kyrie Irving. But it’s more than just the greatness and calming influence that both of those stars possess.
“When you look at some of the role players that are making plays . . . everyone’s comfortable understanding what’s coming, the double-team or a switch,” Kidd said. “And right now the chemistry is high and that group believes in one another.”
Kidd said it’s a special breed that can embrace tense situations with the game on the line late in the fourth quarter.
He should know, having been one of those kind of players.
“Sometimes, some players enjoy the close games, it coming down to one or two possessions,” he said. “Just being in that situation, treating it as a normal situation, some guys thrive in that. Dirk (Nowitzki) was one to be able to digest what’s taking place. Jason Terry was another guy who wasn’t afraid of the moment.
“Luka and Kai, they’re not doing anything different or taking shots that they wouldn’t normally take. They’re actually getting to their spots and being able to deliver.”
Briefly: The Grizzlies were missing Morant, and all-star center Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee), but the Mavericks weren’t anywhere close to whole-healthy, either. Center Dereck Lively II (ankle), guard Dante Exum (plantar fascia sprain) and Maxi Kleber (right small toe dislocation) all were out. Dončić played despite nursing right ankle swelling . . . The Grizzlies came into Tuesday’s game 10-10 on the road and 3-13 at home. “We got to take something from our road mentality and bring it home, for sure,” Jenkins said.
X: @ESefko
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