The Memphis Grizzlies' four-game losing streak has exposed growing tensions between star guard Ja Morant and head coach Tuomas Iisalo. During Wednesday's 124-109 loss to Houston, Morant displayed negative body language and rarely communicated with Iisalo, finishing with 17 points on 6-for-19 shooting and six turnovers.

Morant sat isolated at the end of the bench during timeouts with minimal interaction from his coach. Outside of a brief fourth-quarter discussion with the game out of reach, the 26-year-old point guard did not speak to Iisalo throughout the contest.

Iisalo's offense has proven difficult for Memphis players to digest. The Finnish coach emphasizes advanced metrics and system over individual player strengths, prioritizing pace above all else.

The Grizzlies rank fourth in pace but 24th in rim rate as opposing defenses pack the paint. Memphis sits 24th in three-point percentage following offseason departures of Desmond Bane, Jake LaRavia, Jay Huff and Luke Kennard.

"Overall, I think our offense right now is very stagnant from a player and ball movement standpoint," Iisalo said. "And that's something we need to fix. We need to do a better job as a coaching staff for organizing all five players."

Morant's rim attacks have decreased while his perimeter attempts have increased, resulting in declining offensive efficiency. Forward Jaren Jackson Jr. is averaging his lowest usage rate since his rookie season at 21.7 percent and took just six shots against Houston.

"The longer you've done [something different], it'll take a little longer than the average person to snap back into something new," Jackson told Yahoo Sports. "You have to have full belief in it and have to give yourself up for it, full belief that it will work every single time."

Morant acknowledged his struggles following the loss.

"I just got to be better," Morant said. "Reading the defense, shot selection and taking care of the ball."