The Grizzlies' whirlwind of a season continued with their loss to the San Antonio Spurs on December 2. On the surface level, losing to a team that is currently ranked fourth in the Western Conference standings on the road isn't the worst thing in the world. Especially considering the Grizzlies won the first three games of their four-game road trip.
Also, considering the fact that Ja Morant continues to remain out with injury alongside three other rotational-level players, the loss shouldn't be viewed in a bad light. However, the game was winnable, and the Spurs were a team also missing two of its three best players in Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle.
The most deflating part is the Grizzlies' inability to beat any teams with a winning record in what has been a tough schedule to open the regular season. The trend has reached new heights as head coach Tuomas Iisalo's tenure, dating back to late last season, is proving this to be what he is as a head coach at this point.
Memphis is amongst the worst against teams with a .500 or better record
The Grizzlies have won five out of their last seven games after a five-game losing streak left them with a 4-11 record. They've fought their way back to the ninth seed in the Western Conference standings, but if they want to continue rising, they must start beating some teams that are ahead of them in the standings.
Their 9-13 record has a simple breakdown: They are 8-0 against teams below .500, and 1-13 against teams .500 and above. Including the final nine regular-season games, play-in tournament, and playoffs last season, the Grizzlies are 2-23 against teams with a .500 or better record. That specific timeline is important to note because that is when Tuomas Iisalo took over as the head coach.
His struggles against the better teams in the league need to be studied, as there is no definitive explanation for it, especially considering his 12-0 record against teams below .500. His player rotation patterns continue to dominate discussions among Grizzlies fans and might be one of the primary answers to their problem.
There are certain things you can get away with against teams of lesser competition that better teams will exploit. Their last loss to the Spurs showed a glimpse of that when the Grizzlies relinquished a 7-point lead in the 4th quarter after he took out Zach Edey and Jaren Jackson Jr. for two minutes. A 9-0 run had the Grizzlies down by two points when they returned to the game at the five-minute mark.
Something will have to give if the Grizzlies want to escape mediocrity under Tuomas Iisalo. His adjustments going forward will show if he is truly growing as a head coach.