Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies may have stared at a 3-1 series deficit heading into Game 5 of their first-round matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, but that hasn't sapped the confidence of this young group, even by just a tiny bit. Desmond Bane remained confident in his team's chances of forcing a Game 6, and it certainly seemed like the entire Grizzlies team was adamant about not seeing their season come to an end on Wednesday night.
Even then, the road ahead remains an extremely difficult one, especially with the series heading back to Crypto.com Arena for Game 6 following the Grizzlies' 116-99 Game 5 win over the Lakers. The Grizzlies will need herculean performances from everyone on their roster as they will certainly run into a motivated LeBron James, who's coming off a putrid Game 5 display. However, there are levels when it comes to the responsibilities each and every member of the Grizzlies roster bears.
And that is exactly what Ja Morant believes, as he has put the onus on himself to deliver for a Grizzlies team that's looking to avoid being on the wrong end of a playoff upset.
“Me being a leader and being ready for this pedestal everybody got me on,” Morant answered when asked what it would take for the Grizzlies to, at the very least, force a Game 7 back in Memphis, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
This kind of mindset is exactly what the Grizzlies will need from their star. As much of a team sport basketball is, the best players in the NBA are the ones who carry the burden of transforming a merely good team into a championship-caliber one. And in Game 6, a superstar performance from Ja Morant will go a long way towards putting the Grizzlies in a position of success.
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