Giannis buzzer beater + Ja Morant lost his joy

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily — Episode Summary

Episode: “Giannis buzzer beater + Ja Morant lost his joy”
Date: November 4, 2025
Hosts: Dave DuFour, Zena Keita, Keith Parrish (guest: Grits and Grinds podcast host)

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Athletic NBA Daily dives into two major stories from the latest NBA action:

• Giannis Antetokounmpo’s thrilling buzzer-beater win for the Milwaukee Bucks over the Indiana Pacers, deepening their growing rivalry.
• The Memphis Grizzlies’ struggles and the ongoing questions surrounding Ja Morant’s role, effort, and long-term future with the team.

The hosts break down game highlights, statistical context, player developments, and locker room dynamics, keeping their tone informal and filled with basketball insights.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Bucks vs. Pacers: The New NBA Rivalry (02:41–11:12)

• Game Recap: The Bucks edged out the Pacers in a high-energy, rivalry-fueled matchup decided by Giannis’s turnaround, fadeaway game-winner.
• Buzzer-Beater Drama:
  • Keith Parrish: “It does not matter how many players the Pacers have available… they are going to put up a fight and it is going to be a crazy game. We got another crazy game, came down to Giannis.” (03:12)
  • Zena Keita: “Every single time, it feels as if there’s so much more on the line... It always feels like we’re not talking about the first round. It feels always like an Eastern Conference Finals when these two come up against each other.” (04:41)

Giannis’s Historic Start

• Peak statistical production, possibly surpassing all-time greats in player efficiency (PER).
  • Zena Keita: "Right now, Giannis is averaging 35 in a PER... This is better than all of those guys in their peak years." (06:41)
• Giannis’s dominance in paint scoring, offensive rebounding, and all-around impact.
• The panel contextualizes Giannis’ run:
  • Zena Keita: “Not only is he the fastest player to reach 200 points, 75 rebounds and 35 assists, he has the most 30-point games in NBA history since 2014.” (07:22)

Miles Turner’s Return to Indiana

• Now with the Bucks, Turner received boos during his tribute video in Indiana.
  • Keith Parrish: “During the tribute video, they booed the entire time… Miles Turner on Twitter, I’m going to read what he put out after the game: ‘Ten years of blood, sweat, sacrifice, and constantly taking the disdain on the chin. I guess growth isn’t always applauded. Sometimes it’s booed. But I’m still grateful, still rising.’” (08:16)
• Turner’s response and Giannis’s post-game solidarity highlighted team chemistry.

Rivalry Intensifies

• The Bucks and Pacers have a history of heated playoff matchups, with Indiana spoiling Milwaukee’s postseason dreams in recent years.
• Turner’s switch to Milwaukee and immediate embrace by the Bucks deepens the storyline.

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2. Grizzlies Under Fire: Ja Morant’s Joy and Memphis’ Direction (16:09–34:20)

Memphis’ Rocky Start

• Grizzlies fall to 3–5 after a rough loss to Detroit, with flashes of dysfunction and questions about team chemistry.
• Lack of offensive spark and defensive cohesion noted.
  • Keith Parrish: “They just don’t look like they’re doing much of anything.” (18:53)

Ja Morant’s Struggles

• Ja Morant recently served a one-game suspension for “conduct detrimental to the team.”
• Even after returning, his usual explosiveness and takeover power are missing.
  • Dave DuFour: “He’s not blowing by guys to get to the rim... It used to be this guy scored more points in the paint than Giannis... That used to be the steady diet.” (23:05)
• There’s debate over whether Ja’s drop in assertiveness is about effort, injury, the team dynamic, or loss of joy.
  • Zena Keita: “Do you want to be this team's guy? How would you evaluate the lack of effort? Or is it a shift in his ability?” (22:05)
• Grizzlies’ offense plagued by lack of spacing and reliable secondary creators.

Roster & Culture Turmoil

• Off-season trade of Desmond Bane, KCP’s shooting slump, and secondary injuries have hurt Memphis’s depth.
• The team’s identity is muddled; coaching under Thomas Isolo involves calling out players publicly, which may be clashing with Ja’s sensibilities.
  • Keith Parrish: “You have a coach in Isolo who… calls guys out in front of the team and says ‘Hey, you’re messing up, you’re keeping us from winning.’ It doesn’t seem like that’s working out for Ja.” (25:23)

What’s Next For Ja & Memphis?

• No immediate signs of trading Ja Morant, but the situation is being watched.
  • Keith Parrish: “Most every NBA team, you have to compete at some point with what you have. And I do think having Ja Morant, having Jaren Jackson Jr., is a fine starting point.” (26:33)
• Memphis’s future could hinge on player development (Cedric Coward’s emergence) and getting healthy.

Rookies & Hope

• Cedric Coward shines off the bench, pushing for a larger role.
  • Dave DuFour: “Cedric Coward has been tremendous this year... He’s been one of the best rookies in the NBA this season. He seems to be an answer on the wing.” (30:59; 31:49)
• Zach Edie nearing return increases optimism for Memphis’s frontcourt depth.

Memorable Banter

• Brief lighthearted moment: pondering which Grizzlies might fare best in a physical altercation with the Pistons.
  • Keith Parrish, joking: “I think Jalen Duren might fold Jaren Jackson Jr. in half.” (16:51)

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Notable Quotes

• On the Bucks–Pacers rivalry:
  “Every single time, it feels as if there’s so much more on the line than whatever the game might be… It feels always like an Eastern Conference Finals when these two come up against each other.” — Zena Keita (04:41)

• On Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Peak:
  “Right now, Giannis is averaging 35 in a PER... This is better than all of those guys in their peak years.” — Zena Keita (06:41)

• On Miles Turner’s Indiana Reception:
  “Ten years of blood, sweat, sacrifice, and constantly taking the disdain on the chin. I guess growth isn’t always applauded. Sometimes it’s booed, but I’m still grateful, still rising.” — Miles Turner on Twitter, read by Keith Parrish (08:16)

• On Ja Morant’s Energy:
  “He’s not blowing by guys to get to the rim… That used to be what he did seven, eight times a game. And now the question is, is it roster? …It all boils down to talent for me.” — Dave DuFour (23:05)

• On Grizzlies’ Team Construction:
  “Most every NBA team, you have to compete at some point with what you have. And I do think having Ja Morant, having Jaren Jackson Jr., is a fine starting point.” — Keith Parrish (26:33)

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Key Timestamps

• 02:41 — Bucks–Pacers rivalry, game context.
• 03:37 — Giannis buzzer-beater and historical stats.
• 06:41 — Peak Giannis, PER debate.
• 08:16 — Miles Turner’s reception in Indiana & social media reaction.
• 16:09 — Transition to Grizzlies and Ja Morant’s context.
• 18:53 — Grizzlies’ lackluster offense, team atmosphere.
• 22:05–23:05 — Deep dive into Ja Morant’s effort and mentality.
• 25:23 — Ja’s relationship with new coaching style.
• 26:33 — The Grizzlies’ approach to roster building and Ja’s future.
• 30:59–31:49 — Spotlight on rookie Cedric Coward, optimism for the future.

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Conclusion

The episode paints a vivid picture of early-season NBA drama, contrasting Milwaukee’s soaring highs with Memphis’s sobering reality check. Giannis’s superstardom and the Bucks–Pacers rivalry take center stage, while the Grizzlies’ messy quest for identity, Ja Morant’s trajectory, and the emergence of new talent serve as a microcosm for how quickly things can change in the league — for better or worse.

Transcript

[Dave DeFore]

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[Zena Keda]

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[Keith Parrish]

Good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily. I'm Dave Defore here with Zena Keda. Coming up, Giannis hit a game winner off to a crazy start in Milwaukee. Miles Turner not happy about the reception in Indiana. The Clippers maybe some more trouble. And we got Keith Parish to talk about the Grizzlies. And if it's time, time to move on from Ja Moran. Good morning, everybody. Good morning, Zena.

[Zena Keda]

Top of the Morning. What's going.

[Keith Parrish]

Yeah, doing pretty well. Pretty big night in the NBA. We had what has turned into the biggest rivalry in the NBA, the Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers, Game one of the season. And somehow, Xena, it does not matter how many players the Pacers have available, if they have any healthy point guards.

[Dave DeFore]

If they're, they're, you know, I mean.

[Keith Parrish]

If they lose their starting center for the last decade to the Milwaukee Bucks, they are going to put up a fight and it is going to be a crazy game. We got another crazy game came down to Giannis. Turn around, fade away from the free throw line that, you know, he just yelled Kobe in his head on. They win it on Giannis's second career game winner, Xena.

[Zena Keda]

Wow, I didn't know that. That's cool.

[Keith Parrish]

Bucks Pacer's fun.

[Zena Keda]

It is a lot of fun. And I think that I looked up how much they've actually played up against each other and how much they've performed. And I think that historically, yes, the Bucks have won this in the regular season pretty much outright. They're now 1001987 over the Pacers. But where it's been fun and why we have this recency bias over it is because despite this regular season diminish over the Pacers, the pacers have been 14 and five over the Bucks in the playoffs. Particularly canceling the dreams of the Bucks these last two years in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. This is where we've seen the rivalry really build. This is where we've seen the tussles. This is where we've seen Tyrese Halliburton making a joke of the Milwaukee Bucks clutch defense. It's just been so much fun watching them come up against each other, battle against each other. And every single time, it feels as if there's so much more on the line than whatever the game might be. Yes, the playoffs matter, but it always feels like we're not talking about the first round. It feels always like an Easter conference finals when these two come up against each other.

[Keith Parrish]

Yeah. And look, The Pacers are 1 and 6. They are better than that record. And I think that, you know, when you watch them in a game against the Bucks, who have been surprisingly good, you remember. Oh, yeah, that's right. Pascal Siakam still out there. He put up 32.

[Dave DeFore]

I do.

[Keith Parrish]

I want to dig into Giannis just a little bit. His start to the season, pretty incredible. This is again, he hits the game winner here, you know, he puts up another 33 points, has 13 rebounds. 5 assists, couple steals to start the season. Xena averaging a career high in points. Okay, this is actually the most, most he's ever averaged through the first six games of the season in his career. Including his two MVP seasons. He's pretty close to his career high in rebounds. He's averaging a career high in assists. We might be seeing peak Giannis, which is kind of how we all felt coming into this year. If Giannis was going to be MVP level Giannis, the Bucks were going to have a chance, but that was the only way. And he's been amazing so far.

[Zena Keda]

I'm so happy you said peak Giannis, because we're really, technically speaking, if we're just looking at stats, we're actually seeing the peak performance of any NBA player of all time. There's a particular stat, the, you know, the PR stat. I'm not a huge fan of the PR because it does jump to John Hollinger. Yes, John Hollinger. You know, I don't like to completely assess folks by the per rate, but it basically assesses what a guy does on every possession on the floor. Right. And it put it all together. Right now, giannis is averaging 35 in a PR per P E R. Excuse me, Dave, I want you to guess what the highest number that LeBron has ever hit. The all time scoring leader, what's the highest number he's ever hit in his career?

[Keith Parrish]

32. I don't know.

[Zena Keda]

31. What's the highest that Michael Jordan has ever hit?

[Keith Parrish]

33.

[Zena Keda]

31. What's the highest that Nikola Jokic has ever hit?

[Keith Parrish]

I'm going to guess 33. Every single time we're going Scotty Pippen all the way.

[Zena Keda]

32. And Will Chamberlain has also been in that category of 31. Okay. This is better than all of those guys in their peak years. What Giannis is putting up, not only is he the fastest player to ever reach 200 points, 75 rebounds at 35 assists, he has the most 30 points gained 30 point games in NBA history since 2014. That's including the LeBron's of the world, the Stephs of the world, James Harden's of the world. All the people that you can imagine should be scoring leaders while this guy has been playing. Yeah, he's putting up ridiculous numbers and he is completely transforming what the Milwaukee Bucks are doing from an offensive perspective as well. He is the ultimate boon. He disrupts mismatches, he leads, breaks, lives at the rim. Of those 34 points you mentioned, Dave, 23 of them are in the paint high Efficiency numbers.

[Keith Parrish]

Wow. He also career high in offensive rebounds right now, which is very telling to where the game is going, by the way, where it's gone in his career, but also because Doc Rivers is his coach and Doc is anti offensive rebounds. So maybe Doc also coming around a little bit. But Doc's got bigs now, right? I mean, he's got some mobile guys who can rebound and who can get back. And he's got one in Miles Turner who can shoot threes. Miles Turner, obviously we all remember Miles Turner. Great Indiana Pacer was just there for that seven game series against the Thunder where they had their hearts broken and he left to go to Milwaukee as a free agent during the summer. And Xena, he was booed in Indiana during the tribute video. I mean, during the tribute video, they booed the entire time. And it, and I feel like the Bucks kind of took it personally. Giannis, obviously at the end of the game when he hit the game winner, hit him with the double thumbs down toward the fans. I mean, you know, I, I understand this. And Miles Turner on Twitter, I'm going to read what he, what he put out on Twitter after the game. Ten years of blood, sweat, sacrifice, and constantly taking the disdain on the chin. I guess growth isn't always applauded. Sometimes it's booed, but I'm still grateful, still rising. And then he hit the hashtag fear the deer. Just so you know, like, let me rub this in. Well, I'm a buck now and I guess this is part of the territory. Yeah, the rivalry grows.

[Zena Keda]

And I don't mind Miles Turner calling it out because at the end of the day, he did not get the deal that he was expecting for the level of loyalty he had to the Indiana Pacers. However the fans want to feel about that. Let's just be real in your private lives, folks. If you've put in work, 10 years of work, dedicated work to an organization, and when the time comes to pay up, they're kind of like, we can't afford you or we don't want to spend that money on you, or we're going to limit the amount and there's another company that's willing to give you the years you want and the number you want. I'll, you know, you would take that in your personal life. So I'll never blame him for that. I thought it was very tacky for Indiana to boo him. Um, feel however you want to feel, but like he did what was best for him and his family and you guys would have done that too. What I do love is how much Milwaukee has embraced him. Giannis was asked about this after the game, and he asked, how soon did you, you know, kind of bring in Miles Turner into the fold? He said immediately, automatically, we embraced him. And I. I'm happy that Miles landed in a place where he feels valued and he can showcase what he's capable of in terms of being a big shooting. Shooting big alongside of Giannis at Nubo.

[Keith Parrish]

Yeah. Look, it's tough to pay your centers when the mall business is down, right? I mean, that's. That's kind of the issue for the Pacers. But also, here's my thing about. About booing.

[Zena Keda]

I don't.

[Keith Parrish]

I actually think it's good to boo a player if he leaves because he's now on a different team. As far as the tribute video, that is crazy.

[Dave DeFore]

That's nice.

[Zena Keda]

Okay. That's not.

[Keith Parrish]

But, yeah, I agree, man. That's.

[Zena Keda]

Yes, that's a good clarity.

[Dave DeFore]

You guys are hardcore.

[Keith Parrish]

I appreciate that. You're super into it, but that guy was there for a long time anyway. You know, it is what it is, guys. Maybe not there for a long time. We're going to talk about Ja rant after the break. We got Keith Parrish from Grits and Grinds on just to dig into it.

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[Dave DeFore]

Morning Zoe. Got donuts. Jeff Bridges why are you still living above our garage? Well, I dig the mattress and I want to be in a T mobile commercial like you. Teach me. Saldana. Oh no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly AT T Mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system. Wow, impressive. Let me try T Mobile is the best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best network.

[Zena Keda]

Nice.

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[Keith Parrish]

The Memphis Grizzlies had an awkward ending to last season. Firing their coach, you know, right before the playoffs. They were the 2 seed at at one point in the middle of last year and then, I don't know, the bottom fell out and it has not started out much better. This year they lose a game to the pretty good Detroit Pistons to drop to 3 and 5. My good buddy Keith Parrish, the host of Grits and Grinds, a Memphis Grizzly podcast. Also Fast Break Breakfast is here to talk about his Grizzlies. Keith, I I know you really like this Pistons team. So how did it feel to watch them like kind of manhandle the the Grizzlies for most of the game until that comeback at the end?

[Dave DeFore]

I'll say I did not enjoy being manhandled by the Pistons. As a Grizzlies fan, there was a moment there where my guy Vince Williams Jr shoved Sar Thompson and I'm like, beef stew is right there, buddy. And then I started thinking if a fight broke out, who are the best fight the Grizzlies currently. And I'm like, I think Jalen Duran might fold Jaren Jackson Jr. In half. And I was just like, I don't think the Grizzlies could beat the Pistons in a fight. And then I'm texting with a good buddy and we're trying to list the teams the Grizzlies could beat in a fight. So that's how the night went for me.

[Keith Parrish]

Dave all right, so the Grizzlies, can they trade for Stephen Adams?

[Dave DeFore]

We don't have Stephen Adams anymore. To pick up a guy to Tony Bradley him across the court. I'm like, who's that guy on the Grizz is now like, Cam Spencer's like, he's a little off his rocker. He's like the Michael Keaton. He's the you want to get nuts type moment. But also like, you come to a point where you're fighting people bigger than you, where that only takes you to a certain point. I wasn't sure how an all out brawl. I know this is not what Adam Silver wants us to talk about, but I, I was wondering, if an all out brawl broke out, how would the Grizzlies do? And I was pretty sure it wouldn't go well against the Pistons.

[Keith Parrish]

Yeah. All things being equal, the big guy probably gonna win. All right, Keith, speaking of, the Pistons were the bigger guy. Yeah. Last night. They're just a better team. Kate Cunningham is awesome and he looked great. The Grizzlies defense just had nothing for him. But I want to start with the offense for the Grizzlies because that's been the source of contention since Thomas Isolo kind of took over last year, like running the offense. And obviously we talked about this a lot over the summer. And to open the season, it seems like John Morant at least isn't happy with his role. You know, being suspended for a game for conduct detrimental to the team. He's back in the game last night. I mean, he was. He was okay, but he doesn't do very much out there. So, Keith, like, what have you seen out of the offense? Like, what is going on?

[Dave DeFore]

They.

[Keith Parrish]

They just don't look like they're doing much of anything.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, I was going to accuse you of burying the lead. You did finally get around to the fact that John Morant had been suspended over the weekend. A little bit awkward. We're going to get there. We're going to get played this game.

[Zena Keda]

No.

[Dave DeFore]

So the big thing with the Grizzlies, and there's a lot to talk about with this team because there has been a lot going on. Like you said, last year was strange. They fell off a cliff and like the defense fell off a cliff last year and this year, you know, in the, the off season, you obviously traded Desmond Bain and people are like, well, what are you. What are y' all doing? And now this year starts and there's this injury issue. And so all of that, it's not just a single thing. And then you combine that with the John Moran suspension, him coming back, and you run into like the Pistons, who were pretty good, and Cade Cunningham who took over the game in the fourth quarter. And it boils down to, yes, the offense has not been good for the Grizzlies. For me, it boils down to talent flat out. They're missing so many guys. They're just missing Zach Edie and Scotty Pippen Jr. And Ty Jerome. And then you could talk about John Morant, which is its own conversation. I think a lot of the conversation about jaw boils down to you look at a guy like Cade Cunningham, and I think as a Grizzlies reporter or a Grizzlies fan, you come to the realization that guy's better than our guy. And you start going through the teams in the league. And it used to be two years ago you thought John Morant was better than everybody but a handful of guys. Now you start listing off people and you're like, wait a minute, the Pistons were horrible two years ago. Now they have a guy better than our guy. And so as a team, I don't know what you do there. And that leads to the entire Ja Morant conversation where it. The question was, is this team good enough with John Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. And Desmond Bain? And then an assortment of other pieces, a strong supporting cast. When you start stripping away the supporting cast and then you start losing one of those pieces, the main pieces. And then also now you're just. You have tons of injuries with the. The team you wanted to assemble for this year, and you're like, John Morant and Jaren, go beat a healthy Pistons squad. I. I know, I know, Dave. Your guy Tobias Harris was inactive. I need to.

[Keith Parrish]

Yeah, he was out, so.

[Dave DeFore]

But shorthanded Pistons, I think a lot of it where you're like, hey, the offense isn't working. You lost to the Raptors without John Moran. It's like, well, yeah, I mean, did you see the guys on the court? Like, there's a lot of promising young players on the court, but it boils down to talent for me, where it's saying, I don't know how to judge Tomas Isolo. He thought he was going to have Zach Edie setting screens and rebounding, and he doesn't have that. And now as a Grizzlies fan, you get to the point where you're like, yeah, we got Charles Bassey. When you're high fiving over Charles Bassey, your office isn't very good. I think that's a pretty safe statement. Like, Bassey played his first game for the Piston for the Grizzlies this season. And like the Grizzlies fan group chats, we're all like, this guy looks pretty sharp. Like, we we need to get him more minutes. When you're in the get your emergency signing replacement more minutes spot, it's not a great place to be in.

[Zena Keda]

I feel like we're having a second Willie Green like, conversation right now and transitioning it now to Thomas Isolo. But I'm happy you brought up the jaw thing, because when you're talking about is jaw our guy versus, you know, Kay Cunningham being that guy, and we saw what Kay Cunningham did, 19 points in that fourth quarter. It was unreal, the takeover that he had. But we also can't sleep on the fact that even with a Jaaba rant not running as fast as we know he is possible, you know, he's capable of or not being as active off ball as we know he's been capable to be. He had 10 assists. He had a dunk, you know, in. In transition where he's exploding above the rim. He's still himself. And so I think a lot of the question around jaw is it's still there. He's still capable of being someone's guy. I think it's a matter of, do you want to be this team's guy? How would you evaluate the lack of effort? Or is it a lack of effort or is it actually a shift in his ability?

[Dave DeFore]

That is where the rubber meets the road for this discussion. This. They were complimenting him on the broadcast. I was watching the local fanduel broadcast, and they were like the. The energy for Jaws here. You know, the first half, I think 12.6 assists, he finishes with. With those 10 assists. I still didn't feel like John Morant was taking over. He's not blowing by guys to get to the rim. There was a play in the first half where he did, and it was notable, but it used to be this guy scored more points in the paint than Giannis. Like, that is what Ja used to do. Yeah. So now it's like, oh, yeah, he got to the rim and he made a shot that was good. And he caught an alley OOP on a fast break. That's good. But that used to be the staple. That used to be the steady diet of. This is what he did seven, eight times a game. And now the question is, is it roster? Is it if. If the. If Assar Thompson and Cade Cunningham and Ron Holland can all load up on Jaw and you know, Isaiah Stewart, who was. I mean, Kate Cunningham was amazing. MVP probably. But 26 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. I mean, what in the world from Isaiah Stewart? But like, this is a thing. I think Jiren has dealt with this. And Jaren, I think, has escaped a little bit of criticism early in the year for the Grizzlies because of John Rant making the headlines by essentially quitting on his team against the Lakers. But part of me goes back to the. It's just talent on your roster. If the third, fourth and fifth guys on the court with Ja and Jaren do not scare the defense, well, guess what? They're going to double team. They're going to send all their attention. They're going to say Jalen Wells beat us and Jay Wells is not going to beat you. And he's specifically going through a little bit of a slump right now. But, like, if KCP and Jalen Wells are the other guys out there, they're probably not going to beat you now.

[Keith Parrish]

Well, they just don't have any space. They have no spacing at all because.

[Dave DeFore]

No one cares about the other players on the court.

[Keith Parrish]

Yeah, yeah.

[Zena Keda]

When Jerry Jackson has to be the one to shoot three of, you know, from the. Shoot your threes, that's a problem.

[Keith Parrish]

He's got to shoot threes and he's got to go score at the basket. Right. I mean, this is. This has been a problem for them for a while. I mean, and we'll get to Cedric Coward in a second. But I, I want to circle back to Ja. You know, again, being suspended, like, this is not. I know I glossed over it in the open because I wanted to get to the game, but to be suspended for conduct detrimental to the team. You have a coach in Isolo who has, you know, I think his idea of how you coach is to call guys out in front of the team and say, hey, you, You. You're messing up. You're keeping us from winning. It doesn't seem like that's working out for Ja. I mean, where do you go from here? If Jai is not like you said, if he's not better than the other guys, you're not building around him. I mean, I think in seems pretty clear that Jaren is the guy right now.

[Dave DeFore]

Where do you go? I mean, you don't. As an NBA team, you don't get to pick a lot of times to have one of the best 10 players in the league. You know, it's like everyone gets. You get dealt your hand, and except.

[Keith Parrish]

For the Lakers, you can.

[Dave DeFore]

You can sometimes be given a Luka Doncic, but most every NBA team, you get dealt a hand and. And it turns out, like with a John Morant, that's. That was a huge success story. And it still is a huge success, success story for the Grizzlies, a lot of it, because basketball is a business and an entertainment product. And John Morant still is the entertainment product that is profitable for the Grizzlies. But even if John Morant is not going to get back to being like a second team all NBA guy, he's still, he's still, I think, an all star guy. When, when they have a full, healthy squad, he's an all star guy. And you can build your squad with multiple all stars, which is what they have. You could try to replicate, you look at a success of the Pacers last season, where it's like Halliburton, for as good as he is, probably isn't one of the 10 best guys. So like, there are, there are templates for. We have multiple really good people. The, the way it gets muddied. So, like, I don't think they're moving on from Ja. And I assume, you know, like you said, Isolo very upfront and he's decided in his life, I'm. I'm not going to talk about players behind their back. I'm gonna say, hey, man, you're really the problem right now. And let's see if how John Ryan handles it. The initial response was poor, apparently, and he got suspended. But like Jaws, a grown adult, he can adapt from this. He can compete. He wants to win basketball games, and I assume he's that. So there's no real rush to be like, we have to get rid of them. Because first of all, I mean, there's not really a robust market, I don't think, for John Morant. But also like most, most every NBA team, you have to compete at some point with what you have. And I do think having John Morant, having Jaren Jackson Jr. Is a fine starting point. Where it gets confusing when you look specifically at the Grizzlies right now this season is they just traded away Desmond Bain over the summer. And it, it felt like before the Desmond Bain trade, they were attempting to replicate maybe what the Celtics did when they won the title, when Jason Tatum was fifth, sixth, seventh. You know, like to win an NBA title without a Jokic or without a Shakers Alexander, to win it without an mvp, you just get seven guys who were really, really good. You find your Drew Holiday and your Porzingis, and it seemed like maybe the model for the Grizzlies was that we have John Jaren and Desmond Bain and you know, we moved on from Dylan Brooks, but if we find just the right other pieces around them, maybe we could be one of the best teams in the West. Well, they decided to go another route which now has everyone being like, oh, well, you traded Bain, so now trade John, trade Jaren and let's start over. And I, I, I would not imagine they have any appetite to do anything like that. Also, by the way, they are set up pretty well. Even if they don't do that, they might end up with a couple of first round picks in the top 10 this year. Maybe their own, maybe the Suns, who knows? So, like, they have some options because of that Desmond Bain trade. So they're in a spot where they're not pressed to make a move. But I mean, seeing how John Morant, if he's, if he, after this game and this tough week and this upcoming tough schedule, the next two, three weeks are very difficult for the Grizzlies. If it goes poorly and if John Moran is like, no, I really hate getting subbed out after four minutes and I can't deal with this guy, then yeah, I don't know what you do.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah, you talk about putting pieces around Jaw. I mean, yes, Desmond Bain was sent away, but I remember the conversations were Kentavius Caldwell Pope was supposed to be that replacement. And we know he's been a 40% shooter in the past and this season only 34%. He went.04 from the floor last night. He's not been able to come in and be that savior on the perimeter. But one thing they did not expect, or maybe they did because they drafted him. Cedric Howard goes three of six from three, you know, last night, 48% from three on the season so far. Really phenomenal young talent for the Grizz. And so maybe it's not all right. Maybe let's not break and blow everything up. We've got some solid pieces, especially when you consider Cedric Howard being a knockdown shooter and really a fearless rookie in the way that he has to step up in a lot of these games that he's had so far this season.

[Dave DeFore]

Coward has been tremendous this year. He absolutely has been a big bright spot and he does obviously look like the important piece back into the Desmond Bain trade as of right now. They also hope they're going to get more good stuff from all these picks they still have coming. But Cedric Coward has been one of the best rookies in the NBA this season. He seems to be an answer on the wing. He's been coming off the bench right now behind Jalen Wells and kcp. But I know Grizzlies fans are like Guys, he's our third best player. Can we just play him all the time now? And so like that from a young guy who barely played D1 basketball. It's incredible, the efficiency, the way he's a solid rebounder. He's huge.

[Keith Parrish]

He.

[Dave DeFore]

He has that massive wingspan. He's out there guarding the right guys. He got totally robbed of drawing a charge in the first half against the Pistons.

[Zena Keda]

Oh, yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

No. So, like, he actually. He was the only player on the Grizzlies to draw any offensive fouls in the preseason. So he. He has that positioning. He. He draws offensive fouls. But, like, this guy's legit. He can play. He can get to the basket. He's got, again, that. That ideal frame. He even played some two. They went a little bit big against the Pistons because of using Bassey, the rotation. They left Jaren at the 4. And some of the. Jaren's issues is he's been forced to play five, which, yeah, Jaren's. Jaren's been great playing in space, and he's been great playing alongside a really big man. And they haven't really had that this year so far, but they did have a little chance to go a little bit bigger, put Santi to three, and Cedric Coward played the two. So, yeah, Cedric Coward has been absolutely tremendous for the Grizzlies so far. And some good news, maybe some relief on the way for the Grizzlies. Zach Edie actually practiced with the Memphis Hustle on Monday, so his return could be much closer than people thought. He's supposed to come back, I believe, later in November, but already practicing with the Hustle sounds like maybe he's a little bit ahead of schedule. So now if you have Job run out there and it's Jaren, but you have Cedric Coward and you have Zach Edie, and then KCP can step up, knock down some shots. Eventually, Ty Jerome, eventually, better space, start seeing like, hey, this actually is a good competitive team. I mean, they've been in these basketball games. The Raptors lost without John Moran. That was a tough loss, but they weren't, I don't think, expected to win. They were. They were underdogs in that game. They got blown out by the Heat, but otherwise they've been doing okay. They're just so shorthanded. There's so much on Ja and Jaren's plate that I do think the defenses are loading up on them. That's why right now, none of the numbers are very good. They're struggling to score, they're struggling to defend it all goes back to what I said earlier. I just think it's talent. You can have the greatest coaching philosophy, but like if you don't have that, the horses.

[Keith Parrish]

Horses win the race.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah, it's really hard.

[Keith Parrish]

The fastest horses.

[Dave DeFore]

What if you have a great. What if you have a great. What if you have the best scheme and also the best players? That's the formula I like. So yeah, let's come up with your great ideas, but then also give me the best players and now let's implement them.

[Keith Parrish]

There it is. You solve basketball, Keith. Guys, go and listen to them if you like. The Grizzlies Grits and Grinds Memphis Grizzlies podcast. Keith Parish, thank you so much for joining the show. Thank you, Zena kada. I'm Dave DeFore. This has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.

[Dave DeFore]

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