Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant is off to a hot start this 2021-22 season, but it surely isn't a huge surprise. His superstar rise in the NBA is not by accident, as he has consistently proven that he's among the elites of the league.
Speaking to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, Morant opened up about his success so far and how he was able to separate himself from his peers. Simply put, the Grizzlies youngster gives a ton of credit to his basketball IG that has allowed him to dominate games.
“I know what a lot of defenses are doing,” Morant said. “Knowing what they are doing on offense is pretty much what I do. It allows me to be steps ahead on the floor. Being a point guard, I have to be able to tell our coach and our team what I see on the floor.”
Ja Morant's first two years in the league is by no means a pedestrian one. In fact, he was a borderline All-Star in 2020-21 as he led his Grizzlies to the playoffs via the play-in tournament. This season, though, he is not putting any doubt that he is among the best guards in the NBA.
The 22-year-old is averaging 25.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He is doing everything for Memphis, which has propelled them to the thick of the playoff race. If those are not All-Star numbers, we don't know what is.
Morant's impact also goes beyond the stat line. As mentioned, his basketball IQ has put him ahead of other NBA players and stars. But it has helped Grind City more than just that. With Morant on the floor, the flow of the offense and defense has never been better for the young squad.
“[Morant] has to be our on-the-court coach,” Jaren Jackson Jr. said in the same The Undefeated interview. “Coach is going to tell him things to relay to us. He’s talking a lot. But even on the bench, [Morant is] sharing little things. At any given point, you can just go to him and ask him what he’s seeing. And we just talk about how the game is going, how it’s flowing, how they are playing him and how they are playing me.”
The Grizzlies need Morant to play at a high level consistently in order to compete with the other top dogs in the Western Conference, and so far, he has not disappoint. He will have to carry the scoring burden night in and night out, but he has definitely embraced that role as he tries to lead his team to another postseason berth.
It will be another long grind for the Grizzlies less than 20 games into the campaign, but they sure look ready to compete with Morant leading the charge.
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