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The Memphis Grizzlies continue to find success on the court despite the absence of star point guard Ja Morant. The Grizzlies have now won three games in a row following a 104-88 road win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night.
The Grizzlies have won 3 games in a row without Ja Morant.
They are now the 2 seed in the West. pic.twitter.com/Ye3DMiKhLv
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 14, 2023
While the Mavs were without both their superstars, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, their absences shouldn't take away much from the fight the Grizzlies have been showing of late amid the drama and unavoidable distraction brought about by the Ja Morant saga. It's admirable how the Grizzlies have gotten it together. Their recent string of wins is also a testament to how deeper and more talented the Grizzlies are than most people realize.
David Roddy, Tyus Jones are answering the call
While Ja Morant is away from the Grizzlies, the team is going to lean a lot on the likes of Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane, and Dillon Brooks to collectively cover the gaping void temporarily left by the point guard. But Tyus Jones and David Roddy have also both stepped up big time to deliver the goods for the Grizzlies and help mitigate the impact of Morant's absence.
Jones will always see an increased role for Memphis as the Grizzlies' de facto starting point guard in lieu of Morant. In the last three games, Jones has averaged 15.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 8.0 assists in 32.9 minutes. Jones hasn't been shooting the ball well of late, but he can always be trusted to steady an offense with his playmaking abilities as a passer. When the Grizzlies beat Golden State Warriors at home last Thursday to kick off their current win streak, Jones posted 22 points with 11 assists, four rebounds, and three steals in 33 minutes as the starting PG for Memphis. The Grizzlies know that Jones is among the best guard handcuffs in the NBA. They realized that a long time ago, which is also why they inked him to a new two-year contract in 2022 worth $29 million.
David Roddy, on the other hand, is another pleasant surprise lately for the Grizzlies. Seeing an uptick in minutes, the rookie has been putting up excellent numbers the past two games — during the back-to-back meetings versus the Mavs.
In their win over Dallas at home last Saturday, Roddy went off for a career-high 24 points on 10-for-13 shooting from the field to go along with four rebounds, two steals, and a block in just 23 minutes. In last Monday's rematch versus Dallas, Roddy stayed hot, putting up 19 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the floor with five rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block in 26 minutes of action.
Roddy is gaining confidence and is starting to flash more consistently the all-around skills he used to bring to the table on a regular basis when he was still starring for the Colorado State Rams back in his college days.
Defense is doing its part
The Grizzlies are also having success on the defensive side of the court. On the season, Memphis is allowing just 111.6 points per game, good for fifth overall in the league, as of this writing. But the Grizzlies have been better in the last three games, during which they have given up an average of only 102.0 points — No. 1 in the league in that same span. It's also worth noting that the Grizzlies pace the rest of the NBA with an adjusted defensive rating of 109.9, per Dunks and Threes.
When will Ja Morant return to action for the Grizzlies?
Ja Morant has missed five games since the controversial Instagram Live video in which he was seen flashing what appeared to be a gun. The initial report was that he was going to be away for just a few games. But his timetable for return has now gotten murkier, with Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon of ESPN reporting that Ja Morant has “entered a counseling program in Florida.”
“Morant has been seeking assistance for what he described in a statement as a need “to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being,” and that has taken him out of Memphis on a leave from the team, sources said.”
It's a huge challenge for the Grizzlies to steady the boat and keep their momentum going without Ja Morant, but that's the reality the team has found itself in. The hope for Memphis is that it will be able to weather this particular storm and keep its status as among the best teams in the West — and in the NBA– with its eyes still firmly fixed on a deep run in the looming NBA Playoffs.
