Memphis Grizzlies will continue to struggle without Grayson Allen and Justise Winslow

The Memphis Grizzlies were without two key contributors in Grayson Allen and Justise Winslow on Wednesday night against the Utah Jazz. In a game where Utah didn’t play Donovan Mitchell, the Grizzlies had an opportunity to steal a win.

But a win didn’t look like it was within reach.

For a Grizzlies team with a large rotation, the absence of two guys who normally receive a good chunk of minutes was felt all the way through the lineup. Instead of Winslow and Allen out there, we saw Killian Tillie, Xavier Tillman, and a heavy dose of Desmond Bane.

Desmond Bane has struggled to fill in when Grayson Allen has been hurt

It’s almost like an anomaly. Desmond Bane has been as good of a rookie as the Grizzlies could have asked for, but when he has to fill in for Grayson Allen, he plays poorly.

Take Wednesday night’s game for example. Bane played 33 minutes, but only scored 7 points. He shot 3-10 from the field and didn’t record any assists. He played solid defensively but was a distinct downgrade from Allen in the starting lineup.

In fact, you could even make the argument that Bane had it easy in this start. Donovan Mitchell was out, so offensively and defensively, things would be easier for Bane in this game than they were for him in the previous game, even off of the bench.

It would end up hurting the Grizzlies in their second close loss against the Utah Jazz. Thankfully, Allen’s injury is day-to-day and the Grizzlies will get a break as they come up against a really bad Minnesota Timberwolves team.

Winslow, on the other hand, won’t be back for a while. And for a team that doesn’t have many options at the power forward position, this is something that could be detrimental down the stretch.

Granted, the Grizzlies played half of a season without him, but his defensive presence has been noticeable. He may not provide much on offense, but he’s arguably the best defender on this team with Jaren Jackson Jr. still out.

If he can get back on the court soon, he could help out the Grizzlies immensely as they make a push for an NBA Playoff spot.