Why won't the Grizzlies close games with their best players?

Why won’t the Grizzlies close games with their best players?

MEMPHIS, TN - DECEMBER 26: the Memphis Grizzlies huddle up against the Cleveland Cavaliers on December 26, 2018 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The surprisingly positive beginning of the season for the Grizzlies is fading from memory, as a defeat to the Pistons on Wednesday night dropped them below .500 for the first time this year. They have just six wins in their last 20 games after starting 12-5. The loss at home to Detroit may have been fluky, with leading scorer Mike Conley going scoreless, but signs of distress have been showing, which may have boiled over in a minor post-game brouhaha.

The Memphis Grizzlies' emotional team meeting after loss to Detroit tonight turned physical in an altercation between veterans Garrett Temple and Omri Casspi in locker room, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @WatchStadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 3, 2019

Consternation in the locker room may be similar to the consternation that has arisen in the fanbase, with increasing confusion about the closing lineups, rotations and substitution patterns of J.B. Bickerstaff. Notably, the Grizzlies recently blew 19-point leads in two separate games, both times doing so with rookie wunderkind Jaren Jackson Jr. watching the team lose from the sidelines.

https://twitter.com/fastbreakbreak/status/1079219553517879296?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Following those defeats, Bickerstaff elected to play all 13 players who were active in a first half against the Rockets.

So who should the Grizzlies be playing? Why are they hesitant to close games with their starting lineup? Is there a good reason Jackson Jr. should be used scarcely in the fourth quarter? Was the beginning of the season a mirage or is Memphis just in a run-of-the-mill slump?

A new episode of Fastbreak Breakfast addresses all of these questions plus examines the recent Chandler Parsons news and the signing of Jarnell Stokes.

Fastbreak Breakfast is a podcast for serious NBA fans that is incredibly not serious. All episodes are available on Apple Podcasts and Soundcloud or any other major podcast service.

Music provided courtesy of New Man and Codaphonic.

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