Ever since trade rumors seeped into the Memphis Grizzlies locker room, talk around Ja Morant and the franchise’s trajectory has moved in a new, uneasy direction. Memphis isn’t just evaluating options. It’s confronting a version of Ja Morant that no longer resembles the star who once carried the Grizzlies franchise forward. And one number reveals the shift more clearly than anything else. The percentage of Morant’s shots taken inside three feet has fallen from 39.6% as a rookie to only 15.4% this season, a steady decline through all seven of his NBA seasons with the Grizzlies.
League scouts point to that stat as the defining concern. Morant was built on rim pressure. On fearlessness. On that first step that left defenders frozen before he even lifted off. When those attempts shrink, everything else tightens. And he hasn’t grown in the areas that could compensate. His shooting remains a major weakness. Before his latest calf injury, Morant was just 10-for-60 from deep. Without the rim, and without the jumper, the Grizzlies are watching a star without his foundation.
That’s why the market talk feels different now. The Grizzlies knows the challenge ahead. Trading a former franchise cornerstone is emotional. Trading one whose physical edge is slipping is complicated. Yet the expectation persists inside scouting circles. “I do think they’ll move him,” a West scout said, convinced the team will explore every scenario.
The Grizzlies face their reality
The Grizzlies once believed Ja Morant was the spark that could carry them to a championship window. He made every arena buzz. He gave the franchise identity and swagger. But trends don’t lie. His rim frequency has evaporated, and the player Memphis built around hasn’t looked the same in years.
Now comes the decision that could define the franchise: as trade rumors swirl around Ja Morant, the Grizzlies must decide whether to bet on a turnaround or confront the truth this stat exposes.
