Time is quickly running out for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Ja Morant’s return to the Memphis Grizzlies is expected to take four weeks. Perhaps there won’t be time to salvage their season.

Without their young star, who is serving a 25-game suspension for posting pictures of a gun on social media, the Grizzlies have gone 3-13. Memphis has had a very slow start to the season without him, only outscoring the Portland Trail Blazers in their league-low point total thus far. The Grizzlies have also dropped from being the NBA’s top defense to 17th.

With center Steven Adams sidelined for the season, the Grizzlies have dug themselves a deep hole, even if Morant returns and they resume their winning ways from the previous campaign. They would anticipate going 35–22 with Morant back the remainder of the way, based on their 51–31 record from the previous season.

To get to the play-in round last year, one needed to win 40 games. Before Morant returns, Memphis will need to win a few games, even with the most optimistic projections.

Marcus Smart, who entered the season having qualified for the playoffs in each of his nine NBA seasons, finally lost it all on Sunday. During the Grizzlies’ 119-97 loss to the Timberwolves, he provided support to his teammates.

This difficult season is made even more agonizing by the Smart deal. Guard Tyus Jones and two first-round picks were traded by Memphis in exchange for him. A win-now deal rarely becomes a lose-now trade this quickly, but that’s what’s happening here until Memphis makes things right. The Grizzlies have limited time left to pull it off.

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Right now, Anthony Edwards is speaking truth to power in regards to the Memphis Grizzlies.

On Sunday, Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves humiliated the Memphis Grizzlies in their own arena, triumphing 119-97. The Grizzlies lost 3-13 on the season after suffering their eighth straight home loss—the longest losing streak in team history.

Edwards made some harsh remarks about the Memphis crowd following the game, pointing out how unusually quiet they were.

True enough, there isn’t much excitement surrounding Grizzlies basketball at the moment. Important players like Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke are sidelined for the entire season due to injuries, Ja Morant is still serving out his 25-game suspension, and Dillon Brooks—a box office draw for better or worse—is no longer around to generate headlines. You can understand why the fans are so disillusioned when you combine that with the team’s awful start to the season.

Over the past few seasons, Memphis has been the center of attention due to the team’s success (resulting in consecutive 50-win seasons). This included a thrilling 2022 Grizzlies vs. Timberwolves first-round playoff game, where the fervor of the Memphis crowd even surprised Edwards. However, Edwards finds it difficult to adjust to the fact that FedEx Forum is now a place where you can hear a pin drop.