The Memphis Grizzlies finally shook the jet lag and snapped a six-game losing streak in the rubber match with the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves. Jaren Jackson Jr. went off for 30 points. Cedric Coward scaled the rookie wall once again. Ty Jerome helped save the day. Everyone exhaled. For Tuomas Iisalo, the relief was rooted less in one night’s result and more in a slow, grinding reset after a brutal stretch of travel, schedule congestion, and the residual fatigue from an early-season European trip.
In hindsight, that trip took more of a toll than expected when looking at recovery time.
“I think it's a longer process than just the last game. The past few weeks have been very, very physically taxing with the travel and the game schedule,” Iisalo admitted. “And also emotionally, like when we were in Europe, there was extra stuff going on around. I know that was a lot.”
Iisalo acknowledged that the compression of games forced difficult choices in how the coaching staff managed practice time versus recovery. The Ja Morant's Grizzlies were often stuck in survival mode, prioritizing rest over development as the calendar tightened.
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“At the same time you we kind of try to balance the load between practicing and making sure that guys are recovered for the games,” noted Iisalo. “We had to make some compromises, and now we've for the past maybe week or so, been able to again start to practice.”
That return to more normal practice rhythms is as meaningful as any single win. Iisalo needs to scratch and claw for the last NBA Play-In Tournament spot over the final three dozen games after all. The Grizzlies are no longer afforded the luxury of moral victories; incremental progress must translate into tangible results in the standings.
“The guys' commitment has been great, but it never happens right away,” Iisalo stated. “There's been some positive developments. If you saw how the guys, for example, work today in the shootaround and how they're going about their craft, it's pretty impressive. I'm very happy for them (after the win over the Timberwolves).”
That buy-in has been the staff’s north star during the downturn. Iisalo has emphasized process over panic, trusting that improved habits would eventually surface in the win column. The Timberwolves result didn’t fix everything, but it validated the approach. The question now is whether this win marks a true turning point or just a temporary respite from a season that has been defined by adversity.