3 storylines to watch in the Grizzlies’ season opener vs. Cavaliers

Storyline No. 3: Can Ja Morant continue the momentum he built last season?

There are a lot of background storylines for the Memphis Grizzlies this season. If you’re a die-hard Grizzlies fan, you’ll be heavily focused on the finer details of this squad — primarily, the aforementioned pair of storylines.

That said, there’s one broader storyline to keep an eye on that you’ll likely see highlighted in national media — can Ja Morant continue his momentum from a season ago and put together an All-Star year?

Last year, Ja Morant had a shaky, inconsistent start to the year. Grizzlies fans weren’t worried, but those who troll through the stat sheets thought the Grizzlies could be in trouble. Outside of a 44-point season-opener, Morant was unimpressive as a scorer and couldn’t knock down a deep shot if his career depended on it.

By the end of the year, neither of those things applied.

In the Grizzlies’ playoff series against the Utah Jazz, Morant averaged 30.2 points per game. That set a new franchise record by nearly double-digit points. He continued to dish the ball out well and looked like one of the best players in the league. His ceiling was on full display.

Eyes will be on Morant in the Grizzlies’ season opener this year to see if he can replicate that type of performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers.