Ja Morant made his triumphant return to the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night, dropping 34 points and hitting a buzzer-beating floater to beat the New Orleans Pelicans 115-113. It was a huge night for the struggling 7-19 Grizzlies, but now that they have their superstar back, things feel “different,” as Desmond Bane rightly put it.

“It felt different out there, having our guy back, our leader,” said Bane, per ESPN. “He does so much for us on the court, of course, but the spirit and the energy and all that that he plays with is infectious. … I ain't surprised at all. I've seen him do a bunch of crazy things. I'm not going to say I was expecting something like this, but I knew he was going to be himself.”

And Morant doesn’t get much more himself than being the game’s leading scorer and hitting a game-winning shot at the buzzer. With its superstar finally back on the floor, Memphis is back and can now work on climbing out of the Western Conference basement where they currently reside in the No. 13 spot.

A Ja Morant return for the ages

Taylor Jenkins mentee Grizzlies Ja Morant after beating Brandon Ingram and the Pelicans

After serving a 25-game suspension for waving a gun on an Instagram Live video in May, the Ja Morant return felt like a long time coming. The Grizzlies, who have struggled all season — after also losing center Steven Adams for the season to injury — finally looked like the team that has been in the NBA Playoffs the last three years.

And that is because of Morant.

In the Grizzlies-Pelicans game on Tuesday, Morant was nothing short of as advertised. He led his team in scoring with 34 points, which was also what New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram put up on the other side. Morant also added eight assists, six rebounds, and two steals. Jaren Jackson Jr. added 24 and Desmond Bane has 21 for the Grizzlies as well.

The biggest moment, though, was hitting the spinning, floating buzzer-beater in the lane to win the game for his team. That is the Morant that Memphis fans have come to love. And if he can keep his nose clean off the court, the Grizzlies have a chance to make some noise in the West again this season.