Memphis Grizzlies: How Ja Morant can force into the 2021-22 MVP race
NBA defenses have other Memphis Grizzlies players to defend besides Ja Morant
It’s hard to remind people of the impact that losing Jaren Jackson Jr. had on this team. After nearly a full season without him, fans easily forget that JJJ is the second-best player on this team. He’s Ja Morant’s co-star.
With his return, the Grizzlies will have an entirely different look. Jackson Jr. will space the floor, give Morant another option on the inside, and collect even more offensive rebounds for a team that already excels in that category.
But JJJ is only part of this.
Jonas Valanciunas has improved beyond what anybody thought was possible in 2021. For a stretch before his recent concussion, he was undoubtedly the best player on this Memphis Grizzlies team. This bodes well for the Grizz.
Rather than opposing teams’ defensive game plans to look like this…
- Ja Morant
- Ja Morant
- Ja Morant
They’ll start to look more like this…
- Ja Morant
- Jonas Valanciunas
- Jaren Jackson Jr.
This Grizzlies team will have an entirely different personality, still centering around Morant as the heart and soul of this team. The Grizz are trending at the right time.
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The success of his teammates will allow Morant to eat opposing teams alive. I suspect we’ll even begin to see this as soon as the end of this season.