The Memphis Grizzlies and Ja Morant have been a marriage that has mostly been successful for the parties since he was drafted in 2019. However, the last three seasons have been rocky as the superstar point guard transitioned from one of the youngest players on the team into a team leader as the franchise looked to become a title contender.
The roster construction by general manager Zach Kleiman put the pressure on Morant to grow up sooner than he was ready, while also dealing with various untimely injuries. The Grizzlies are about to embark on an updated era with Morant being surrounded by players that fit his style, but the biggest question remains about his playing style.
Morant's play style has proven to not be reliable for health
To be fair, the high-flying Ja Morant recognized that his aggressive attacking style on offense was part of the cause of his injuries and vowed to dunk less earlier last season after returning from a hip injury. Also, Morant's other injuries throughout the regular season stemmed from an illegal screen set by New Orleans Pelicans big man Daniel Theis that lingered for nearly the rest of the season.
However, in Game 3 of their first-round series loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Morant took a hard fall on an alley-oop attempt, hurting his hip in the process and ending his season. His first injury of the regular season was also on an alley-oop attempt against the Los Angeles Lakers in November, which led to him missing eight games due to a hip injury.
He isn't the only star to have an extensive injury history, and there are worse (Zion Williamson in New Orleans, for example), but the Grizzlies' future and hope for championship contention depend on his health. Morant is a winner, and that became more apparent when he only played nine games during the 2023-24 season, resulting in the team winning only 27 games.
Despite missing 30 games last season, the team managed to get to 48 wins and remained in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race for a top-four seed. Desmond Bane was traded this offseason, meaning the pressure is on for Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. to carry the load for the Grizzlies.
67 games is the maximum amount that Morant has played in any regular season for the Grizzlies, and that was his rookie season during the 2019-20 season. He has to reach at least 65 games to be eligible for All-NBA teams and postseason awards, so that should be what he strives to get to for the team to have a chance at contending next season.