Grizzlies' Road Woes: Is It Time to Admit This Season Is Lost?

Memphis heads to Charlotte on Monday night, a date circled on no one's calendar outside of the team's travel coordinator. The Grizzlies are 24-45, holding down the 12th spot in a Western Conference that’s long since left them in the rearview mirror. They’re trying to snap an ugly four-game road losing streak against a Hornets team that’s fighting for its play-in life, sitting at 36-34 and barely clinging to the 10th seed in the East.

Real talk: this isn't the Grizzlies team we expected. Not even close. Ja Morant played just nine games this season before going down with a shoulder injury in January, effectively gutting any hope this squad had of replicating last year's 51-win campaign. Desmond Bane's been out since January 12 with an ankle sprain, though he's nearing a return. Marcus Smart, the big defensive acquisition, has missed significant chunks of time, including the last seven games. You can blame injuries all you want, and they’re a legitimate factor, but at some point, a team has to find a way to win with who they have.

The numbers are just brutal. Memphis is scoring 106.1 points per game on the road, which ranks 28th in the league. Their 26.5% three-point shooting on the road in March is absolutely dreadful. They dropped their last road game 118-88 to the Thunder on March 13, and before that, they got smoked by the Rockets 123-112 on March 10. This isn't just a slump; it's a consistent problem. They’ve gone 9-22 on the road this season. That’s a losing percentage of .300. Pathetic.

**Charlotte's Play-In Grind**

The Hornets, meanwhile, are clawing. They beat the Magic 118-106 last Tuesday, behind 26 points and 12 assists from LaMelo Ball. Ball, when healthy, makes this team go. Miles Bridges has been solid, averaging 21.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game this month. They’ve got something to play for, which is more than you can say for Memphis. Charlotte’s home record isn't fantastic at 19-16, but it’s still significantly better than what the Grizzlies bring on the road.

Here's the thing: Charlotte has won three of their last five, and even those two losses were tight contests against good teams – a 101-93 loss to the Celtics and a 107-101 loss to the Sixers. They're playing with purpose. The Grizzlies, on the other hand, look like a team counting down the days until the offseason. They're giving up 113.6 points per game on the road, a figure that Charlotte's offense, which averages 102.7 points at home, should be able to exploit. Look, the Hornets aren't world-beaters, but they’re competent enough to handle a shorthanded, unmotivated Grizzlies squad.

My hot take? Memphis should just pack it in. Rest anyone with a hangnail. Forget trying to win these meaningless games and focus entirely on player development for next year. Play the young guys, let them make mistakes, and build for a healthy 2024-25 season. Trying to snap a road losing streak against a team fighting for the playoffs is a fool’s errand right now.

I predict the Hornets win this one by double digits, 115-103, and the Grizzlies' road losing streak stretches to five.