The Memphis Grizzlies 2021 offseason comes on the heels of their best season since the beginning of the team’s rebuild. The Grizzlies finished 38-34 on the season and made a push for the NBA Playoffs in the NBA’s Play-In Tournament. They’d eventually be knocked out by the Utah Jazz, but put up a fight along the way.
At the center of that fight was Ja Morant, who averaged 30.2 points per game in the contest and looked like a seasoned NBA All-Star when it mattered for the Grizzlies. Even in the play-in tournament, Morant made clutch buckets for his team and put up impressive stat lines,
Morant posted 35 points, six assists, and four steals en route to a Grizzlies victory over the Stephen Curry-led Warriors. He also hit five of his ten three-point attempts, a new personal best for the second-year guard.
Apparently, this wasn’t enough for one media outlet.
Why was Memphis Grizzlies PG Ja Morant snubbed from Bleacher Report’s top 10 NBA stars to build around?
Grizzlies fans will find solace in the fact that Andy Bailey’s list was far from perfect. In fact, there were more than a handful of questionable choices, as Zion Williamson and Ben Simmons made appearances over guys like Ja Morant, Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker, and Anthony Edwards.
Thankfully, Morant was listed as an honorable mention, with the following reasoning listed.
"Like some of the other smaller guards here, Morant figures to have some issues on defense going forward. And while he’s a dynamic driver and passer, his shooting still needs work."
Bailey does have a point when referring to some of Morant’s defensive flaws. That said, he has the athleticism to get there on defense, which can’t be said for every other guy on his list.
For example, Trae Young has clear athletic limitations which will eventually cause issues defensively, as happened with Stephen Curry, but his shooting allows it to be overlooked. Or that’s the logic, at least.
The list also includes Ben Simmons who, granted, is an elite defender, but couldn’t knock down a three-point shot if his life depended on it. Heck, we saw him handicap his own team in last year’s playoffs based on his inability to shoot. If you’re going to use a lack of shooting as a reason why a player isn’t great to build around, don’t put Simmons on your list.
At the end of the day, Grizzlies fans know one thing that most people don’t — Morant has the potential to become a strong shooter and great defender. The same cannot be said for many other NBA players. Memphis fans will rest easy with Morant as their franchise point guard.