The Memphis Grizzlies may have traded away Mike Conley to the Utah Jazz in the offseason, but they already have their point guard of the future in Ja Morant. There has already been a lot that head coach Taylor Jenkins has liked from the rookie.
The set of attributes that Morant provides a team as a prospect is impressive. Between his explosiveness and dynamic passing ability, he was made to wreak havoc when operating in NBA spacing.
What has stood out to Jenkins the most so far about Morant has been his passing ability. That should come with little surprise given how Morant has managed to average 7.7 assists and only two turnovers so far during preseason play.
“Obviously his speed and athleticism stand out, but his feel for the game as far as being a passer is what stands out for me,” Jones said, via Omari Sankofa II of The Athletic. ”Knows where his teammates are on the court, he knows where his bailout passes are if he does get in trouble or gets stuck. He knows how to get to the rim and his change of pace is phenomenal. He’ll only continue to get better, but like you said, from day one to come in and have a lot of those things under control and to be able to do those things at will, you can’t teach that.”
The next step for Morant will be for him to expand his impact as a scorer, particularly when he is collapsing the defense and getting into the paint. Jenkins believes that it is an ‘ongoing learning process' for Morant in developing in this area.
“We need him to get to the paint, we need him to collapse the defense, need him to score in those situations,” he said. “He has shown at other times where he’s able to draw defenders, get in the paint, kick out for threes. It’s just an ongoing learning process with him where I don’t want him to stop and take his foot off the gas pedal.”
The rookie season that Morant is set to have for the Grizzlies could end up surprising some given how the team is going to allow him to shoulder significant playmaking responsibility out of the gate. The future is bright down in Grind City with Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. at the helm.
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