Memphis Grizzlies young star Ja Morant was back in Rookie of the Year shape during a recent run, throwing down a windmill alley-oop dunk with some emphatic swagger:

This pick-up game happened outside of the confines of the Grizzlies' practice facility, which only allows a pair of players at a time and has yet to open up to the Training Camp 2.0 stage before the resumption of the season.

In a way, this kind of informal open run was what the NBA was trying to avoid when they allowed for practice facilities to open up again. Yet Morant seems to not have lost an inch of his eye-popping vertical leap, getting eye-level with the rim:

The 6-foot-3, 175-pound point guard has been on a tear all season long and is likely headed for Rookie of the Year honors, perhaps unless Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans can find a way to sneak into the playoffs.

All 22 teams invited to Walt Disney World for the resumption of the season will have eight regular-season games to help determine seeding. The Grizzlies have a 3.5-game lead over the Portland Trail Blazers, Pelicans, and Sacramento Kings, but they will need to increase their lead beyond four games in order to head to the postseason without the need for a play-in tournament for the last playoff spot out West.

Related NewsArticle continues below
Malik Beasley playing basketball. Pistons logo in background.
Ranking 4 best Malik Beasley free-agency destinations if he leaves Pistons
Nike Ja 2 Tiffany, Nik eJa 2 release
Nike Ja 2 ā€˜Tiffanyā€™ official release details

It seems Morant is ready and willing to continue what has been a bombastic first season, helping accelerate the Grizzlies' rebuild with averages of 17.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists through 59 games during his rookie campaign.

ā€“

Follow ClutchPoints on Twitter & Instagram, and like us on Facebook. We can also be found on Flipboard where you can subscribe and follow us.

All of our NBA content can be found on the NBA section of the ClutchPoints home page here. For all of our college basketball content, click here.

Follow NBA games live by downloading the ClutchPoints App and heading to the scores tab under the NBA section.

You can listen and subscribe to the Battle for LA podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Soundcloud. You can also find new episodes of Battle for LA, the ClutchPoints NBA Podcast, and Establish the Pass under the Podcast tab on the ClutchPoints home page.