Grizzlies have a problem that must be fixed immediately

Jan 6, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr. (1) steals the ball from Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (2) during the fourth quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Jan 6, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Memphis Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr. (1) steals the ball from Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (2) during the fourth quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets have been rotating the second and third-seed lines in the Western Conference standings for the last two weeks and will have a battle to settle it tomorrow night at the FedEx Forumm. For now, the Grizzlies are third behind the Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder with a 24-13 record, trailing Houston by only 0.5 games.

Memphis is the only team in the NBA that ranks in the top five in both offensive and defensive ratingratings despite having the most games missed by players to injury. While the Grizzlies remain at or near the top of the league in several offensive categories, including points per game and pace, they have a concerning stat that will need to be corrected soon.

30th ranked in turnovers per game

The Grizzlies are dead last in the league in team turnovers per game, and their high turnover rate was the primary reason for their recent 2-3 record on the five-game West Coast road trip. They are averaging 17.3 turnovers per game and hit that mark in four of their five-game road trip with two of those games committing over 20 turnovers.

Currently, they are the only team ranked in the top six of either conference to not rank in the top 20 of turnovers per game, and the majority of those teams rank in the top 10. The Eastern Conference's fourth-seeded Orlando Magic and fifth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks rank 19th and 15th, respectively, and the West's fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks rank 14th.

The other eight teams ranked in the top six of both conferences take up eight of the top 10 spots for least committed turnovers per game, including the top six being occupied by all. Missing Ja Morant has played a huge factor in the Grizzlies' struggles in the turnover department but the constant movement in their new offense is the cause for some as well, despite the great results in other areas.

When Ja Morant misses time, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane handle the basketball more often, which didn't yield positive results during the Grizzlies' road trip. After Ja Morant went down in the New Orleans Pelicans game on the first game of the road trip, the team averaged 19.3 turnovers over the final four games of the road trip (1-3 record).

Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane combined to average nearly half of the team's total with 8.8 turnovers per game over that stretch. The Grizzlies returned home and committed only 13 turnovers in their victory over the Dallas Mavericks in what was a much cleaner game.

The Cleveland Cavaliers currently rank third in the NBA with 13.0 turnovers per game so that number needs to be the goal for the Grizzlies to reach in the turnover margin. Ja Morant will return soon and will be followed by numerous rotation guys that will help that, but the team needs to prioritize limiting the turnovers now and their last game was a good beginning.

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