3 takeaways from Memphis Grizzlies’ win over Kings without Ja Morant

Takeaway No. 2: The Memphis Grizzlies looked better on defense without Ja Morant

Let me kick this slide off by specifying that I do not believe the Memphis Grizzlies to be better defensively without Ja Morant. He might never be an All-Defense-caliber player, but the Grizzly point guard has taken leaps forward since entering the league.

As things stand, Morant is the Grizzlies’ leader in steals, a category that the team has consistently been atop the league leaderboards in during the past few seasons. The point that I’m making here, however, is based solely on an individual game.

The Grizzlies held the Kings to 101 points. Can you remember the last time that Memphis held anybody to 101 points? Probably not, as you’d have to go all the way back to November 1st, nearly a month ago.

While the obvious variable to point to here would be Morant’s absence, the real story is about a Sacramento team that was missing three key players. That said, the Kings are one of the better scoring teams in the league, ranking in the top ten in points per game.

On Sunday, they did not look like that team.

Realistically, it’s highly unlikely that Ja Morant is making this team’s defense worse. Still, it’s worth keeping track of this trend.