Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant’s highlight-filled 2020-21 season review
Memphis Grizzlies PG Ja Morant is still gradually learning how to play effective defense
Defense: There aren’t many negatives to say about Ja Morant’s defense thus far in the league. He won’t be mentioned on any NBA All-Defensive teams but the young point guard has held his own in the league.
Many NBA stars try to preserve all of their energy for the defensive end of the floor *cough* James Harden *cough*— Morant does not do this.
Even though the soon-to-be third-year point guard out of Murray State isn’t the most elite on-ball defender in the league, he can be an extremely feisty player when he is challenged by anybody. His rebound, steal, and block numbers look virtually identical to last season, but the young guard is learning to play cohesively with the rest of his team on defense.
Leadership: Compared to his defense, Ja Morant’s leadership abilities have taken gigantic strides from a year ago. That said, his leadership abilities didn’t seem to improve much until the end of the season, where it became clear that he was growing as a player.
At just 21-years old, Morant did a couple of things that nobody would have expected out of him. First, he took down Stephen Curry head-to-head. Granted, the Warriors were still without Klay Thompson but nobody had given the Grizzlies a chance in that matchup. Morant played his best basketball of the year, knocking down clutch shots and getting his team entry to the NBA Playoffs.
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He would continue to play well in the Grizzlies’ first-round series against the Jazz, averaging over 30 points per contest. Even though the Grizz didn’t get the win, Morant made it clear that he’s ready to lead his team when it matters.