Taylor Jenkins sounds off following ugly Grizzlies loss to Raptors

Considering just how bad their start to 2023-24 has gone, particularly their initial 25-game stretch without Ja Morant where they cultivated a lowly 6-19 record, every game from here on out should be viewed as a "must-win" for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Unfortunately, even with this reality, the club still finds itself struggling to come across victories, as they have gone a mere 1-4 over their last five contests and, most recently, dropped a seemingly easy head-to-head matchup against the re-tooling Toronto Raptors on their home floor at FedEx Forum.

Presumed to be coming into the latter half of this back-to-back following a triumphant win over the San Antonio Spurs the previous night, the Grizzlies fell flat against Toronto, as they were overwhelmingly outplayed in three of the game's four quarters and allowed their visiting foe to convert on 48.2 percent of their shots from the floor and 46.2 percent from deep compared to their far less enviable 42.6 percent and 35.7 percent clips.

While there seemed to be several reasons for why Memphis was unable to prevail from their second-straight home game against a team that had gone 2-5 over the previous seven games coming in, when partaking in a postgame press conference coach Taylor Jenkins seemed to cast blame toward one person: Himself.

Coach Taylor Jenkins blames himself for Grizzlies loss to Raptors

"I gotta get this team better prepared. We were flat tonight. [This loss is] on me."

- Taylor Jenkins

Jenkins, a top-10 Coach of the Year finisher over the previous two seasons, has faced quite a few challenges during his fifth year holding the clipboard for the Grizzlies and, to some, is believed to have just as much influence on their lackluster 11-23 record as both injuries and suspensions to key players.

Hopefully he can act on his words from the presser and get this team better prepared for their upcoming three game road trip, otherwise they could find themselves punting on the rest of the seasoserving as sellers heading into February 8's trade deadline.