The Memphis Grizzlies had an ugly performance in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. As the eighth seed, the Grizzlies had difficulty against the team with the best record in the league and suffered a 131-80 defeat. Out of all the teams that played their first postseason game, Memphis had the worst loss.
Following their loss, ESPN’s Zach Lowe demanded that the Grizzlies step up their game. On the Monday episode of “The Zack Lowe Show,” the longtime analyst discussed with Howard Back on what Memphis should do against the Thunder.
“What are we doing here?” Lowe said (34:23). “Because this team has talked a lot of s**t and they’re going to get rocked in this series, and we’re going to be four years into this or whatever, and they’re going to have won one playoff series.
“If they get smoked in this series, what does this mean for them?
“Don’t suck toward the end of the year. Don’t get into position where you have to fire your coach with nine games left. They talk s**t to everybody. Just back it up, then.”
The 2025 playoffs are the Grizzlies’ fourth appearance in the postseason since drafting Morant. They’ve only advanced to the second round once, which was in 2022 when they beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in six games. The following round, they lost in six games against the eventual champions, the Golden State Warriors.
The Grizzlies have not been a real threat in the playoffs. There have been a lot of factors that have affected their performance over time. Injuries to players like Ja Morant and the eventual firing of head coach Taylor Jenkins are among the top reasons Memphis has struggled.
Former NBA player demands Memphis Grizzlies’ big man to step up against the Thunder
One of the reasons why the Memphis Grizzlies lost against the Thunder was because of how Jaren Jackson Jr. performed. Jackson couldn’t get one to go as he finished with a lowly four points on 15.4 percent from the field. Even his rebounding and defense didn’t work well against the top-ranked team in the West.
Jackson had three rebounds and a steal. The struggle was real for the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year.
After the game, former NBA player Kendrick Perkins appeared on SportsCenter and used it to demand more from the two-time All-Star.
“Pray. That’s all they can do to be honest with you, unless Jaren Jackson Jr decides to step up. Last time I checked, he is a former Defensive Player of the Year. He’s the only All-Star on the team,” Perk said (12:53:).
“We know that Ja’s not 100 per cent. He’s dealing with that ankle injury, but he’s out there battling through it. Jaren Jackson Jr has to rise to the occasion.”
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
