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Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr., Zach Edey given ‘stop fouling’ order after Timberwolves loss

Originally posted on NBA on ClutchPoints
By Chris Dodson | Last updated Apr 11, 2025 11:50 AM ET

The Memphis Grizzlies are having a hard time getting everyone on the same page before the NBA Playoffs begin. The most recent setback, a 141-125 home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, exposed more than a few flaws with Tuomas Iisalo’s new frontcourt configurations. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey seem to be reading from different books when looking at their failures in two fundamental areas: fouling and reading screens as a twin towers tandem.

Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 23 points and two steals against Minnesota. However, it was all ugly past those numbers on the stat sheet. The former NBA Defensive Player of the Year had just one rebound and one assist to five fouls and two turnovers against Rudy Gobert’s Timberwolves (47-33). The defeat dropped the Grizzlies (47-33) to the bottom of the multi-team tiebreakers and below the NBA Playoffs top-six security line.

Zach Edey contributed seven points, nine rebounds, and a block, but Naz Reid and Julius Randle kept the Grizzlies from catching a break. Jackson Jr. and Edey’s foul trouble and the season-ending injury to Brandon Clarke left Tuomas Iisalo looking for frontcourt solutions which never materialized. Too many fouls and a lack of faith are the main issues.

“We had two of our bigs with four fouls (in the third quarter),” Iisalo noted. “I pulled (Zach Edey) out early and then (Jaren Jackson Jr.) almost immediately after. Of course, in hindsight, you think should we have left them in? Should we have gone longer? We corrected at some point, but they were rolling already at that point.”

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) talks with center Zach Edey (14) and forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (13) during the first half against the Brooklyn Nets at FedExForum. Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Cutting down on fouls is step one. Figuring out the defense as a twin towers pairing so the team’s rebounding does not suffer. Jaren Jackson Jr. had more fouls than rebounds twice in the last four Grizzlies games under Tuomas Iisalo. Jackson Jr. has eight instances of having more fouls than rebounds since returning from an ankle injury on March 14.

Anthony Edwards and the rest of the Timberwolves exploited those flaws.

“It was all sorts of situations. You had balls screens, you had isos, you had transition situations. It was not just one situation that was hurting (the Grizzlies),” Iisalo stressed. “The thing is, bad teams, they would say in this situation we played well otherwise but that one bad quarter hurt us. No. That quarter is the one that we have to fix and focus on and do better and learn from that if we want to be good or great.”

There is not much time left to learn on the job. Tuomas Iisalo needs a win and some help to be assured of at least one more home game after the regular season finale versus the Dallas Mavericks.

This article first appeared on NBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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