Three years ago, the Memphis Grizzlies were billed as the next up-and-coming team that would contend for championships for years to come. After the 2021-22 season, the Grizzlies suffered a second-round exit against the eventual champions, the Golden State Warriors, in a six-game series. During that season, their superstar, Ja Morant, had his coming-out party.
He averaged a career-high 27.4 points, was named an All-Star, made the All-NBA Second Team, won the league’s Most Improved Player award, was top 10 in MVP voting, and led the Grizzlies to a 56-26 record where they finished second in the Western Conference.
Since then, the Grizzlies and Morant haven’t been able to quite achieve the heights and hype that surrounded that 2021-22 season. As a team, the Grizz have yet to reach the second round again, and Morant has only made the All-Star Game once since that season. At that time, if you would ask most NBA fans, General Managers, and analysts who was the best young guard in the league, Morant would be the answer you would hear the most. Some were even saying he was on the trajectory to be the new face of the NBA.
He was seen as a better player than his peers, such as Anthony Edwards, Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA), just to name a few. Now, a short three years later, all four of these players have seen regular-season, individual, and playoff success that has exceeded anything Morant has done. With the Conference Finals nearing their conclusion and the stars of those Conference Finals being Morant’s peers, it brings into question, where does he stand now?
How did we get here?
The first thing to look at is how Morant got into this situation. The simple answer some may give is that others simply have gotten better, while Morant has gotten worse or stayed stagnant. Some numbers would back this up, but they don’t add context to what’s happened. Availability has been the biggest issue. The best ability is availability, and Morant simply hasn’t been that. He’s been out for various injuries and suspensions that have prevented the young star from showcasing his talents at the rate the world needs to see.
As, result, the Grizzlies' record has suffered, which has given the opportunity for other players and teams to take the spotlight. This season, Ja Morant played only 50 games. This is his lowest number, excluding the 2023-24 season, where he only played nine games as a result of the NBA’s 25-game suspension and a season-ending shoulder injury. This year, Memphis was 30-20 with Morant in the lineup and 18-14 without him. A big difference for a team competing in a tough Western Conference.
Staying on the floor has always been an issue for Morant, though it has gotten worse over the past three seasons, where he's missed 120 games. He’s never played over 70 games during a season, and the Grizzlies have a record of 76-90 all-time without Morant in the lineup. Of the 166 games Morant has missed in his career, a little over 72% of them have occurred in the past three seasons. Numbers you can’t have for a franchise player.
Morant hasn’t helped himself either, as a lawsuit was filed against Morant by then-teenage basketball player Joshua Holloway over an altercation that occurred at Morant’s house. Also, there were his “I’m fine in the West” comments that have since backfired, and the gun celebration debacle this season with the Golden State Warriors. Were some of the controversies we’re unfairly made to look worse than they were? Yes, however, the media drives the storylines of the league, and Morant hasn’t kept his nose clean when his peers have, and produced on the court.
The other side of it
Yes, Morant’s numbers have dipped over the years, but again, it doesn't tell the whole story. Another reason why Morant’s numbers have been down has been things outside of his control. For the past few seasons, Morant has dealt with roster and coaching changes that have impacted his production.
Over the past few years, Morant has lost players such as Steven Adams, De'Anthony Melton, Dillon Brooks, and Kyle Anderson. All of those players were big-time defenders who could make up for some of Morant’s defensive struggles while still giving production on the offensive end. These are layer archetypes that are presently lacking on the Grizzlies roster. In particular, Adams was an exceptional rebounder and screener who worked well with Morant’s pick-and-roll expertise.
All of these guys made Morant’s life easier. They covered his weaknesses and maximized his strengths. On the coaching side, Morant was coached by Taylor Jenkins for his entire time at Memphis before being fired this season with nine games remaining, and was replaced with head coach Tuomas Iisalo. There were signs of Jenkins’ coaching deficiencies throughout his tenure, but they became more evident this past year.
Especially when the Grizzlies made a complete coaching overhaul, bringing in new assistants such as Iisalo, Noah LaRoche, and Patrick St. Andrews. The latter of the two was fired along with Jenkins. When they were here, they implemented a new offensive system that Morant didn’t gel with. This led to documented frustration with his production and overall offensive scheme during the season.
After Jenkins was fired, Morant’s production under Iialso showed flashes of the All-NBA level of play. If you don’t count the playoffs, where Morant only played two and a half games after suffering a hip injury, in the nine games Morant played under Iisalo, he averaged 27 points and 6.2 assists per game.
The verdict
The question of whether Morant is being left behind by his peers is a big area of subjectivity that will give many answers. There are good points on both sides, but the answer is no. Young stars, such as the above-mentioned Edwards, Brunson, Halliburton, Gilgeous-Alexander, and even guys such as Cade Cunningham and Donovan Mitchell, have all reached their levels of success, while Morant hasn’t over these past three years.
The gap has widened to the point where SGA has been named the MVP and is heading to the Finals, awaiting a matchup with either Haliburton or Brunson. However, they’ve all been blessed with a lot of luck and favor by the basketball gods. They’ve all been surrounded with proper talent and coaching to maximize their talents. In addition, they’ve stayed away from controversy, something Morant has come up short with.
When it comes to the upper-echelon of young guards in the league, the guys that Morant is behind are Mitchell, Edwards, and Gilgeous-Alexander. However, the gap isn’t as big as it may seem. When Morant is on the floor, he is still the highlight reel, must-watch, elite guard he’s always been. The eye test says he’s still “him” as he claims himself to be, but he needs the wins to go along with it.
If Morant is fortunate enough with health, a good supporting cast, a great system, and keeps his behavior in check, there is no doubt he will return to the All-NBA level of the 2021-22 season. Thus, propelling the Grizzlies to playoff heights they have never seen.