The Memphis Grizzlies hit the road for the first time this season as they head to Washington, D.C. to take on the Wizards on Saturday. The Grizzlies will be playing the second game of a back-to-back looking for their first win of the series after starting the season 0-2. Washington comes into this matchup at 0-1 after losing their opener at Indiana. The opening tip is scheduled for 7:00 PM EST.

Grizzlies Slow out of the Gate

The Memphis Grizzlies come into the 2023-24 season with a lot of question marks and some new faces after two straight playoff seasons but plenty of off-and-on-the-court turmoil. The Grizzlies will be without star Ja’ Morant for the better part of the first half of the season due to his off-the-court behavior that led to a suspension. They also discovered right before the start of the season that center Steven Adams would be out for the season with a knee injury. Finally, the team lost the face of their brash on-the-court behavior after letting forward Dillon Brooks leave via free agency. The biggest addition this offseason was the acquisition of former Celtics leader, point guard Marcus Smart. Thus far, things have gone slowly for the Grizzlies after losing each of their first two games.

On Friday night, Memphis fell to 0-2 after dropping a 108-104 loss to the defending champion Nuggets at home. Jaren Jackson Jr. led the Grizzlies with 21 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 3 blocks and Smart chipped in with 20 points and 5 assists. Memphis took the lead briefly in the fourth quarter before the Nuggets pulled away late.

The Grizzlies will be playing the second game of a back-to-back on Saturday night in DC. Without Morant available, the Grizzlies will need to lean on other players to pick up the scoring pace. Last season, the Grizzlies finished 10th in the NBA with 116 points per game. Thus far, the team has been leaning on Desmond Bane to help pick up the scoring slack. He is averaging over 22 points per game through the first two games but the team has only averaged 104 points per game through two games. It is a small sample to be sure, but it speaks to the issues the team will likely have over the first few months while playing without their dynamic point guard.

Key Injuries: SG Luke Kinnard and PF Santi Aldama are out.

The Rebuild is Underway

The Washington Wizards parted ways with their top two players in the offseason, shipping off Bradley Beal and Kristap Porzingas, as the team begins to look toward the future and rebuild the current roster. The centerpiece of all the deals is former Warrior guard Jordan Poole. Poole, part of the 2021-22 Warriors World Championship team, is young enough to be part of the rebuilding Wizards. In the opener, the Wizards were blasted by the Indiana Pacers 143-120 on the road. Kyle Kuzma led the way with 25 points and Poole chipped in with 18 points. Unfortunately, after leading by five at the end of the first quarter, the Wizards offense couldn’t match the firepower of the Pacers.

“There was a little hesitancy, we talked about that,” Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “Watching and waiting, this team specifically is going to make you pay. It’s a strength of theirs. The minute there’s a change of possession, they’re gone so if there’s any hesitation, they make you pay.”

The Wizards’ defense was abysmal in the opener against the Pacers. Washington allowed the Pacers to shoot 52% from the floor overall and nearly 47% from 3-point range. The Pacers also had 38 assists in the game compared with just 28 for the Wizards. Washington struggled from long range as well, hitting just 9-of-24 from 3-point range. The Wizards will need to get more production out of Poole going forward. Poole, along with Kuzma, is a proven veteran who will need to lead this relatively inexperienced roster.

Key Injuries: G Johnny Davis and SG Landry Shamet are out.