A fire was lit under Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant after he found out that Utah Jazz veteran playmaker Mike Conley Jr. was called up to replace the injured Devin Booker in the 2021 All-Star Game. Instead of putting the blame on anyone else, the 21-year-old sophomore took it upon himself to work even harder to gain more votes in the future.

After the All-Star Game reserves were announced, the public sympathized with Mike Conley who has yet to earn an All-Star selection throughout his 14-year career in the league. However, things took a quick turn after Booker was ruled out of the mid-season festivities due to a nagging knee sprain.

Conley eventually got the nod to replace the Phoenix Suns guard which led to mixed reactions from the public. Some deemed that other players like Morant along with San Antonio Spurs swingman DeMar DeRozan deserved it more than Conley. Although Morant has seen his fair share of struggles this season due to a major ankle injury, he is still averaging 19.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 7.7 assists through 24 appearances.

Morant's numbers are considerably better as compared to Conley who is recording norms of 16.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 5.7 assists in 29 games played this season.

However, despite Grizzlies fans wishing their young stud would have been considered for his first All-Star appearance, nobody would know how much Mike Conley has deserved it over the years better than them.

Though the Grizzlies point guard clearly holds an advantage based on the statistics alone, a tenured veteran in Mike Conley was still favored to make an appearance in the game for both career accomplishment and being a vital part of an NBA-leading Jazz side. Certainly enough, the All-Star snub will only fuel Ja Morant to be better and show more consistency on the floor in the years to come.