Memphis, Tenn. • Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy shook his head in disbelief.

As he paced up and down the sideline, he appeared to mutter something to himself.

He couldn’t believe the Jazz had allowed Memphis yet another open 3-pointer, this time early in the fourth quarter.

He was frustrated with his squad’s defense.

And it was hard to blame him. After all, this wasn’t preseason anymore. It was the real thing — opening night.

The result? The Grizzlies earned a commanding 123-103 opening-night victory over the Jazz on Wednesday night at FedExForum.

It’s only one game — the first game — but it wasn’t a showing many Jazz fans wanted to see at the start of a new era.

Memphis guard Ty Jerome scored 45 points and drew some MVP chants late in the fourth quarter.

Utah guard Keyonte George led the team in scoring with 22 points and five assists. Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen added 18 points and nine rebounds.

Here are three observations from the Jazz’s season opener.

Defense is a work in progress

Let’s be clear: The Jazz are trying to get better on defense. Utah’s training camp focused heavily on the defensive end.

You just might not know that from watching Wednesday’s game. It’s safe to say the Jazz have a ways to go.

Utah can be a better defensive team than it showed on Wednesday. The first quarter even showed glimpses of what the Jazz could be on defense.

Utah did a good job of fighting through screens and getting its hands up. The team looked more coherent defensively than at least last season.

Progress!

The problem? There was much more of the game.

The quarters after that were ugly.

The Jazz struggled to stop the Grizzlies in transition, allowing 23 fast-break points.

The Jazz struggled to cover shooters, allowing wide-open looks or only getting late contests. The Grizzlies, a team that ranked No. 22 in 3-point shooting percentage last season, looked like the trigger-happy Boston Celtics.

And let’s not even get started on the rebounding. Hardy pointed out before the game that it was a big issue, and he wasn’t wrong. The Grizzlies outrebounded Utah 55-38.

Overall, Memphis shot 47% from the field and 38% from 3.

Ace Bailey was the lone bright spot on defense.

He looked much improved on that end, finishing the night with three blocks. He also made life difficult for Grizzlies players, using his length and overall athleticism to bother shots.

Rookie Darryn Peterson earns the start

For the first time under coach Will Hardy, the Jazz started a rookie on opening night.

It was none other than No. 2 overall pick Peterson.

The start wasn’t exactly a surprise, as Peterson started every preseason game. The interesting thing? Peterson had the ball in his hands much more with the starters than he did in the preseason.

He had a good first half with 7 points, three rebounds and three assists. He didn’t force much on offense and played within himself.

But, like the rest of the Jazz, his defense was a work in progress.

A couple of times, he bit on fakes that let players blow by him. Other times, he let the opposing player get the first step and was forced to foul.

Peterson had a quiet second half.

He took only one shot and scored 2 points. He played a total of 31 minutes, finishing with 9 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Jaren Jackson returns to Memphis and struggles

When the starting lineup was announced, Jackson received a standing ovation from his old home crowd.

It was his first time actually playing against his old squad since he was traded from Memphis to Utah last season.

There was clearly plenty of love for Jackson in the building. It just wasn’t his best game overall.

He fouled out after 28 minutes and had five turnovers.

It wasn’t all bad, though. He finished with 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field.