One of the odd storylines that surfaced after the Memphis Grizzlies‘ first preseason game was in relation to Ja Morant. That said, it didn’t have anything to do with the fact that he dropped 27 points.
Instead, it was in relation to the effort that Morant was giving throughout the game. Even more surprisingly, it wasn’t a lack of effort he was being criticized for — he was being ridiculed for putting forth too much effort for a preseason game.
Specifically, the Overtime Twitter account tweeted out a video of Morant securing a rebound, taking the ball down the court at full speed, and nearly ending Brook Lopez’s life (metaphorically) on a posterizing dunk. To go along with the video, they added a caption that said “Ja gotta chill it’s PRESEASON 🤣”
Here’s how Morant replied to that tweet.
https://twitter.com/jamorant/status/1445587729874554880?s=21
Should Memphis Grizzlies PG Ja Morant take it easy during the preseason to avoid injury?
For most, this was simply a dunk attempt that nearly ended in the best dunk thus far in preseason play. For Grizzlies fans, it was another near-heart attack.
It’s nothing we haven’t seen before — Ja Morant regularly goes for highlight-reel dunks in NBA games. That said, nobody expected him to do this in a preseason game, which doesn’t count for anything.
Logically speaking, he should be taking it slower than usual. That said, it was clear that the Grizzlies were not slowing down at all for preseason, and it genuinely seemed to help them develop some preseason chemistry. Morant worked well with newcomer Steven Adams, who had previously played with a similar player in Russell Westbrook.
In most cases, I’d say the third-year Grizzly franchise player should slow down and take it easy. That said, we have to trust Taylor Jenkins at this point. The young head coach has done virtually everything right in his time with this team and there’s no reason to believe that he’s letting Ja Morant put himself at risk if it’s not worth the reward.
You also have to imagine that Morant and his teammates are working even harder in practice. If he’s doing so in practice, why shouldn’t he in a game?
Of course, my opinion would do a full 180-degree turn if Morant ended up getting injured during a preseason game.