Here's Derrick Rose's honest assessment on why the Memphis Grizzlies are struggling
Derrick Rose was less than an hour removed from one of his strongest performances of the season, but the frustration on his face told a different story.
He was challenged when he joined the Memphis Grizzlies to use his 16 years of NBA experience to be more of a vocal leader. That is a role that didn't come naturally to Rose when he was younger, but he accepted it with the Grizzlies.
That's why when he described their struggles Friday after a 110-89 loss to the Phoenix Suns at FedExForum, he questioned when his message on the importance of communication would resonate with his teammates.
"If we're not going to talk on the defensive end, there's no way in hell we're going to win these games," Rose said. "That's just honestly speaking."
Rose, who finished with 17 points on 8-for-9 shooting, pointed out how sometimes teams will call out plays of their opponents. He used that as an example of everyone being on the same page, which he said the Grizzlies (3-12) are lacking.
The biggest defensive assignment on Friday was Suns guard Devin Booker. With All-Star scorers Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant out with injuries, Phoenix (10-6) relied on Booker's 40-point performance to put the Grizzlies away.
They gave Booker different looks, but there were several noticeable breakdowns after the team brought help toward Booker and other Grizzlies defenders were put in disadvantageous positions. Desmond Bane noted how the Grizzlies didn't execute when they were supposed to be in read and other defensive coverages in certain situations.
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"That can't happen," Bane said. "It's on the guards, it's on the bigs, it's on the bench, it's on the coaches. It's on everybody involved in the organization to make sure we're on the right page. . . . That's the first step to being a good team."
Defense isn't a bigger problem than the current offensive struggles, but the defensive issues trickle down into the way Memphis prefers to play offense.
The Grizzlies are built around the idea of playing fast. They've been one of the NBA's best fast-break teams in the previous four years under coach Taylor Jenkins, but problems have been noticeable this season.
They entered Friday's game ranked 23rd in the NBA with 12.1 fast-break points per game. They finished with nine fast-break points against the Suns. This comes after ranking in the top three in the NBA in each of the past four seasons.
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"It's just a commitment that we're going to have to make 1 through 15," Bane said. "Everybody on the floor has an obligation to get out and run, share the ball and whenever opportunities are there, be aggressive. If they're not there, swing it to the open teammate. It's a pretty simple game."
The urgency is increasing. Memphis is still searching for its first home win, and it went winless during group play of the NBA's inaugural in-season tournament.
Adding veterans was a point of emphasis this season, and situations such as these are where they come into play. The Grizzlies are struggling to execute, but players like Rose won't stop emphasizing what needs to change.
"(Rose) has been everything as advertised," Bane said. "Ultimate professional. Anytime he speaks, his words hold weight. He's trying to continue to lead us and continue to make us better on both ends of the floor, which I appreciate."
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Derrick Rose 'honestly speaking' about Memphis Grizzlies' issues
