Under Ja Morant‘s leadership, Memphis is poised to make playoff noise much sooner than many expected.
Ja Morant’s goal is to give the Memphis Grizzlies far more than the memorable 360-degree dunk as the climax in his first All-Star game.
The third-year point guard plans to give Memphis an NBA title.
“Our goal is to win the championship and I feel like that goal can be achieved as long as we stick together, keep growing together, play together,” Morant said. “We just have to stay the course, take it day by day and let it play out.”
After playing their way into the postseason last season, the surprise Grizzlies have the NBA’s third-best record overall with 22 games remaining. They trail only Phoenix (48-10) and Golden State (42-17) with Memphis (41-19) just 1 1/2 games behind the Warriors.
It’s an impressive turnaround after going 9-10 on November 27 when Morant was out first with an injured left knee, then health and safety protocols that cost him 12 games. Since then, the Grizzlies are 32-9 and lead the NBA in several statistical categories.
Memphis is tied with Charlotte for the highest scoring team in the NBA with an average of 113.8 points per game. The Grizzlies also lead the league in rebounds (48.9), steals (10.1) and blocks (6.3) per game, even with injuries limiting Dillon Brooks — their top fullback — to 21 games.
Golden State coach Steve Kerr believes the Grizzlies are solid at both ends of the parquet.
“A really good two-way team, creative on both sides,” Kerr said. “Even with the guys they have out there, they’re really deep and flexible. You’re hot right now.”
That’s what the Grizzlies wanted when controlling owner Robert Pera scrambled his front office and made Zach Kleiman general manager in April 2019. Memphis already had Jaren Jackson Jr. as a fourth pick overall in 2018 and snagged Morant in 2019 in second place.
Kleiman, in his third NBA season or less, has assembled a very young and strong team of 12 Grizzlies. Center Steven Adams, a trade takeover last summer, is the senior in his ninth season. Rookie Ziaire Williams, 10th pick overall, is currently a starter along with Desmond Bane, 30th pick in 2020.
Grizzlies players bullied Ja Morant during his honors as an NBA All-Star starter.
Third-year coach Taylor Jenkins has them playing a stingy defense, led by NBA third-ranked Jackson, who blocks 2.17 shots per game. They turn blocks and steals into more fast break points than anyone in the league, with the Grizzlies finishing off with plenty of high-flying dunks.
“When we do that, it’s a spark and we’re really dangerous when we come out into the open,” Jenkins said.
Preparing for the Grizzlies requires a lot of attention to Memphis’ transition defense. Detroit coach Dwane Casey credits the Grizzlies with having excellent defensive hands, and Jenkins and his staff built them into a system that was a perfect fit for Memphis.
“They’re a handful,” Casey said. “I don’t see many weaknesses. You look at other teams out west and you see the Memphis Grizzlies at the top.”
The Grizzlies are 19-0 when they score at least 120 points, and they started February with at least 120 points in six straight games, the longest streak of any NBA team this season.
Morant is the reason for the Grizzlies’ high hopes as they start the second half Thursday night in Minnesota.
He is the seventh-best scorer in the NBA averaging 26.8 points per game. He’s also on track to become the sixth player in league history to average at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists per game at age 22 or younger. The others are Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, Tracy McGrady, LeBron James and Luka Doncic.
Finals MVP Giannis Antetokuonmpo, who led Milwaukee to the title last summer, said Morant and the Grizzlies are another small market team capable of fighting for the championship.
“He has an incredible team,” said Antetokounmpo. “They have a great culture, a great coach. The sky is the limit for them.”
