After a red-hot 6-0 start to the NBA season in which they were the talk of the league, the Memphis Grizzlies have snapped back to reality. A team that was led by a Ty Jerome that was named the Western Conference Player of the Week was probably due for some regression to the mean. And with defeats coming at the hands of two teams that currently have worse records than Memphis (4-4 Pelicans on Monday, 3-6 Pacers on Wednesday), we've reached the cooling point.

On Monday, Memphis had defensive issues. On Wednesday, the Grizzlies were icy from three for the first time all season. In both situations, the team had opportunities to take the game anyway - and were unable to do so.

It's a reminder that despite the early success, the team is indeed still rebuilding. And that there will be stretches like this along the long season ahead.

Inexperience isn't just reserved for the young

A lot will continue to be made of the youth that is on this Grizzlies roster. Rightfully so - Cameron Boozer is the NBA's youngest player this season and is surrounded by a roster that includes three-year NBA veteran (and 21-year-old) GG Jackson.

But the two most "veteran" Grizzlies - Jerami Grant and Ty Jerome - are adjusting to new roles as well.

For Grant, starting 37 games for a playoff team last season in Portland and then the next year being a sixth man type off the bench has come with its challenges. He has started cold offensively (only 105.5 points per 100 shot attempts per Cleaning the Glass, 28th percentile among NBA forwards) and the Grizzlies are almost 12 points worse (per CtG effieicncy rating) with him on the floor as opposed to off of it.

On the other side, a career-long reserve/sixth man type in Ty Jerome is starting to generate attention. There's pros and cons to this - Jerome is outplaying his current contract and should be in for an eventual pay day, whether it's in Memphis or elsewhere. But with that success comes defenses planning more directly for you.

That didn't go well in Wednesday's game, where three assists to four turnovers and an uneven shooting night from beyond the arc helped do the Grizzlies in against the Pacers. Credit Indiana - they were aggressive on the perimeter with traps and pressures, and physical in their defense of Jerome and other Memphis players.

But the book will be out on Ty sooner rather than later - maybe it already is. And if Ty Jerome is option #1 consistently offensively, and Jerami Grant is expected to be the offensive spark off the bench most nights? They're going to need more reps at it.

Turnovers kill the vibe

It isn't as pronounced as in football, where there is a direct line between winning the turnover margin and winning the game. But logic would dictate that if you are giving up possessions to the opposing team, even if they are not scoring on that very next possession, missing on chances to score the ball yourself can impact your chance of victory.

And while Memphis continues to possess elite efficiency numbers as a team overall, even after the recent two game skid, their turnover rate as a team sticks out like a sore thumb.

The Grizzlies are 21st in the NBA in turnover percentage, meaning that on 16.5% of their possessions a turnover occurs. That's almost one in every five possessions! If that number were to hold, it'd be the worst turnover rate for Memphis since the 2008-2009 season.

That, in simple terms, stinks.

Who are the biggest individual culprits? For Grizzlies players that have logged at least 100 minutes so far this season, GG Jackson at a whopping 18.5% is the worst. That's "good" for the 9th percentile among NBA wings, per Cleaning the Glass. Combine that poor number with struggles in assist creation compared with usage (13th percentile there) and perhaps it should not be a surprise that GG saw limited run against Indiana.

But it's not just him. Zach Edey (17.4%) and Cameron Boozer (16.2%) both turn the ball over at a very high level, especially for bigs. Illegal screens, lost handles, bringing the ball down off of a rebound below your head so a small player can swipe at it - all these factors play a role in a higher than desired role in this space.

This Memphis team must protect the ball and value possessions more. In their two losses this week they've lost the turnover battle. That isn't an accident.

Settling for the three and fouling is easy

In fairness, when shots are going down from beyond the arc it is hard to say no to the sweet, sweet taste of the three ball. But for the first time this season, the Grizzlies struggled from range against the Pacers. Shooting 27% from three wouldn't have made a Memphis fan surprised just a few years ago. But now? It stood out.

Did the Grizzlies decided to put their head down and drive to the bucket, trying to force contact and get to the charity stripe? No - they shot 44 threes at 27% and only attempted 15 free throws in the entire game.

Now against Indiana the refs "let the boys play", so to speak. The Pacers only attempted 17 free throws themselves (making 15 of them to Memphis' 9 of 15 - relevant in a close game). But over the span of the season the Grizzlies are not getting to the free throw line (and making them) enough. Memphis is 24th in the NBA in free throw rate, and on the defensive side they're 19th in defensive free throw rate (meaning they're letting their opponents get to the line at an above average rate).

Why? Part of it is scheme design. Part of it is the fact that launching threes and reaching instead of driving through contact, moving your feet, and body positioning is easier to do.

Cameron Boozer attempted ZERO free throws against Indiana. Jaylen Wells shot no free throws, nor did he take a single two point shot! And while Ty Jerome was an awesome 8-10 on two point looks, he was 2-10 from three. Maybe making a faster pass read our of a trap or trying to find a second ball screen to get to the floater would've been a better option.

If the refs aren't calling fouls, that's out of the Grizzlies control. But prioritizing driving and working for contact can be. And on the defensive end, more attention must be paid to not just what is happening there, but why. Greater understanding of opposing offenses will allow for Memphis to get to spots in defensive rotations in a more timely manner.

All of this takes reps, and time, and experience of course. Experience that the Memphis Grizzlies lack across the board. Because of that, stretches like the last two games will occur.

But that doesn't make the 6-0 start a mirage. It was real - very real. Real enough to change the calculus of the floor of this team, if not the ceiling.

That inexperience not derailing the season will be in the hands of the coaches and players seeing the mistakes, correcting them, and growing so that the next time they're in that spot? They're better.

The only way to no longer be inexperienced, is to gain experience. That's basketball. And that's life.