Memphis Grizzlies embarrassed by Charlotte Hornets

Once upon a time, the Charlotte Hornets were at the bottom of the NBA and the Memphis Grizzlies were riding high. Those days are gone. Now, Charlotte looks the part of one of the league's up and coming teams...and the Grizzlies look cooked. Overcooked. Well done.

Three takeaways from a bad loss, even if the Hornets are not as bad as they once were.

Jaren Jackson Jr. deserves better

As the trade deadline draws nearer by the day, the actual Memphis Grizzlies star with the most trade value should have his name brought up in conversations more consistently. Jaren competed admirably in a tough environment - meaning his team struggled around him. He simply does not have enough help around him right now to compete.

Yes, the Hornets are an improved bunch this season. But the Grizzlies were at home, and outside of JJJ had no player capable of hurting the Charlotte team on the glass, on offense, or defensively.

If the Grizzlies are as far away from contention as they looked Wednesday night, Jackson Jr. should also be out of Memphis soon through no fault of his own. He can help a contender now.

Cedric Coward competes

In a matchup featuring two of the NBA's best rookies, Coward more than held his own. You can argue that Cedric Coward outplayed Kon Knueppel straight up (although a stalemate may be more fair, but this is a Grizzlies blog) and displayed more confidence than we have seen in recent games, especially on offense.

This kind of performance is what can sustain Memphis Grizzlies fans ahead of what will surely be a slog of an end of the season if things do not improve.

Spoiler alert: outside of more consistent point guard play, unlikely.

Rebounding, you are a problem

As much as Jaren Jackson Jr. deserves better, he has never been a strong player on the glass - which is a reason why some Grizzlies fans will not miss JJJ when he is gone.

They're wrong - but that's a topic for another day.

Jock Landale, however, is expected to help a bit more on the glass than three boards in over 25 minutes of play. In fairness to Jock, he can't do it alone - and the team remains beat up in the front court. It's hard to envision Zach Edey struggling this much on the glass.

Or giving up 20 rebounds to an opposing big, as Memphis did in this game. John Konchar led the Grizzlies on the glass. While Konchar is an elite wing rebounder, that's a recipe for a loss more often than not.

The Grizzlies return to the court on Friday against the Hornets in New Orleans.