3 Memphis Grizzlies who could win league awards in 2021

Memphis Grizzlies PG Ja Morant is on track to make his first NBA All-Star appearance

If you like to get into semantics, you’ll have all of the criticisms in the world for this article. Sure, an NBA All-Star appearance isn’t technically an NBA Award. Guess what? This is my post — I make the rules.

Ja Morant had an up-and-down 2020-21 regular season that was riddled with inconsistencies. His 3-point percentage leveled out around 30% by the end of the season, but it was hovering below 25% for the bulk of the year. That, in essence, affected his whole game.

Once he got going offensively though, Morant was unstoppable. Use the Grizzlies’ NBA Playoff series with the Utah Jazz as an example. Morant set every scoring record imaginable while having a respectable series as a passer. He broke the Grizzlies’ playoff single-game scoring record with 47 points and the Grizzlies’ playoff scoring average with over 30 points per contest.

Morant showed us that he was ready to take the next step that many fans expected earlier in the year. This is a good look as the 2021-22 season approaches.

With the aforementioned offensive loss of Jonas Valanciunas, Morant will need to step up as a scorer even further in 2021. Expect his scoring average to bump up and while I’m at it, you should also expect his jump shot to improve. He wasn’t hitting shots, but it didn’t feel like a lost cause. By the end of the year, he proved that he can shoot the ball in the mid-30s.

In my heart, I truly believe that Ja Morant will earn his first NBA All-Star appearance next season. Heck, if you really want a specific award, maybe he’ll win the NBA All-Star Game MVP award.