The Memphis Grizzlies did not put a contending roster around Ja Morant as he enters his prime. They traded away Desmond Bane and only added role players to a roster that was swept in the first round of the playoffs. Morant led the Grizzlies to the second seed in the Western Conference in 2022 and 2023. The superstar has health questions, but Memphis has been elite when he plays. That will be more difficult after a head-scratching offseason.
The Grizzlies cut salary to renegotiate and extend Jaren Jackson Jr. after an All-Star season. They got a massive haul of draft capital for Bane and replaced him with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Memphis also signed Ty Jerome and drafted Cedric Coward. They hope those pieces will be enough, but the Grizzlies won’t be able to paper over their holes.
Morant is playing with joy again. That is a massive plus for the franchise. Fans know he is electric and unstoppable. Sadly, the roster around him is not enough to be a serious contender.
The Grizzlies must get Ja Morant more help
Memphis has Morant and JJJ locked in, but the rest of their depth chart is filled with question marks.
KCP is the favorite to replace Bane in the starting five, but he is coming off a down season. The two-time NBA champion averaged just 8.7 points, his lowest since his rookie season. He struggled to make shots and find his fit in Orlando. The Grizzlies hope he can bounce back playing off Morant, but there are no guarantees.
Their big free agent signing was Ty Jerome, but playing him next to Morant would be problematic defensively. Jerome is a sixth man bucket-getter, but will likely play under 20 minutes each night when the Grizzlies' superstar is healthy.
There are massive questions at the five. Zach Edey is expected to miss the start of the season as he recovers from ankle surgery. Memphis brought back Santi Aldama, but their rebounding will be questionable if he starts next to Jackson Jr. in the frontcourt. Brandon Clarke will get minutes when healthy, but Memphis has plenty to sort out.
Jaylen Wells had an impressive rookie season, and the Grizzlies hope Cedric Coward is their next draft find. They will need both youngsters to play key roles if the franchise has any shot at making a run in the loaded Western Conference.
With Bane gone, the team’s playmaking, shooting, rebounding, and scoring are questionable. They don’t have someone to replicate his 19 points, six rebounds, and five dimes every game. The Grizzlies will use a committee approach, but that means young players stepping up and a veteran bouncing back.
Those are a lot of ifs for a franchise that was considered arguably the best young team in the NBA in 2023. Those days are gone, and many are questioning if Ja Morant can win in Memphis. The Grizzlies traded away a building block for depth. They feel light years away from contention in the stacked Western Conference and without a clear path to improve.
Morant can’t do it all. It appears the Grizzlies have put him in an impossible position, and everyone will feel the pain.