Ja Morant Announcement divide the whole NBA has he clearly emerge….
Apologies to those who thought we litigated the issue last year, but new evidence in the form of a series-evening 103-93 Memphis Grizzlies win on Wednesday night means we have to re-open a compelling case.
The familiar question: Are the Grizz actually better without superstar point guard Ja Morant?
Ja Morant Announcement divide the whole NBA has he clearly emerge….
The two-time All-Star missed the Game 2 win over the Los Angeles Lakers with an injured right hand, which lifted Memphis’ record without Morant to 33-17 (including the playoffs) since the start of the 2021-22 season, per The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor. That’s too large of a sample to dismiss.
First, though, some context.
The Grizzlies won’t be throwing a parade after a home-court win over a No. 7 seed that got some truly abysmal performances from key players. D’Angelo Russell shot 2-of-11 in 30 minutes and often moved around the floor as if he’d slept less time the night before than he spent on the court. Anthony Davis was, by his standards, historically unproductive.
Los Angeles shot 26.9 percent from deep as a team, ran no discernible offense down the stretch and somehow couldn’t contend with third-string center Xavier Tillman on the inside as the career backup went off for 22 points and 13 boards. Remember, in addition to Morant being on the sidelines, so were starting center Steven Adams and key backup Brandon Clarke, both of whom are done for the season.
READ MORE:Stephen A. is declaring Grizzlies’ for incompetent action as morant will…
This particular Ja-less win probably had more to do with the Lakers’ ineptitude than anything the Grizzlies did, though that analysis probably sells Memphis’ effort and defensive fortitude short.
Speaking of, that’s long been the best explanation for why the Grizzlies tend to succeed without their leading scorer and playmaker.
Last year, per The Athletic’s John Hollinger: “The Grizzlies give up more points per possession with Morant on the court than with any other rotation player, and that fact is immune to whatever arbitrary data endpoints you want to use. For the season, they give up 111.2 per 100 with Morant and just 105.3 without him.”
Ja Morant Announcement divide the whole NBA has he clearly emerge….
Apologies to those who thought we litigated the issue last year, but new evidence in the form of a series-evening 103-93 Memphis Grizzlies win on Wednesday night means we have to re-open a compelling case.
The familiar question: Are the Grizz actually better without superstar point guard Ja Morant?
Ja Morant Announcement divide the whole NBA has he clearly emerge….
The two-time All-Star missed the Game 2 win over the Los Angeles Lakers with an injured right hand, which lifted Memphis’ record without Morant to 33-17 (including the playoffs) since the start of the 2021-22 season, per The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor. That’s too large of a sample to dismiss.
First, though, some context.
The Grizzlies won’t be throwing a parade after a home-court win over a No. 7 seed that got some truly abysmal performances from key players. D’Angelo Russell shot 2-of-11 in 30 minutes and often moved around the floor as if he’d slept less time the night before than he spent on the court. Anthony Davis was, by his standards, historically unproductive.
Los Angeles shot 26.9 percent from deep as a team, ran no discernible offense down the stretch and somehow couldn’t contend with third-string center Xavier Tillman on the inside as the career backup went off for 22 points and 13 boards. Remember, in addition to Morant being on the sidelines, so were starting center Steven Adams and key backup Brandon Clarke, both of whom are done for the season.
READ MORE:Stephen A. is declaring Grizzlies’ for incompetent action as morant will…
This particular Ja-less win probably had more to do with the Lakers’ ineptitude than anything the Grizzlies did, though that analysis probably sells Memphis’ effort and defensive fortitude short.
Speaking of, that’s long been the best explanation for why the Grizzlies tend to succeed without their leading scorer and playmaker.
Last year, per The Athletic’s John Hollinger: “The Grizzlies give up more points per possession with Morant on the court than with any other rotation player, and that fact is immune to whatever arbitrary data endpoints you want to use. For the season, they give up 111.2 per 100 with Morant and just 105.3 without him.”
