I usually like to start these things with an anecdote, ideally gleaned from being in the building and seeing something or hearing something or asking something that sets the stage for the next 1,000 words. But like a lot of people Tuesday night, I was home, watching the Grizzlies and Warriors, witnessing another scintillating Ja Morant performance in a season full of ’em.
Just about every NBA team has hit the halfway mark of their campaign, and a lot of media outlets have put out mid-season awards content. Not a lot of it has featured discussion about Morant deserving MVP props. And after he finished with 29 points, 5 boards, and 8 assists in the Grizzlies’ 116-108 victory over the Warriors, the 10th straight game Memphis has won thanks in large part to the wizardry of Morant, I wonder if some of those outlets would like a do-over.
Of course, every NBA observer out there is well aware of how Morant has been killing it since returning from a knee injury last month. I just hope that after the Grizzlies earned their second win of the season over arguably the league’s best team, all future MVP debates, discussions, surveys, and studies include the pint-sized point guard. Because you’re doing a disservice to Morant’s game if you’re not.
I’ll reel off some of his stats later, but if you’ve been tuning into Grizzlies games with any kind of regularity, you’re well aware of the leap Morant’s taken in his third season. Watching him light up the Warriors for 15 points in the first quarter and then hit the two biggest buckets of the game—a beautiful floater with 53.9 to go that put Memphis up five, followed by an old-school 3-point play via a tricky left-handed layup with 28.9 remaining to put the Grizz up seven—it was crystal clear Morant’s blossomed into a superstar worthy of comparison to the game’s elite.
“I just like having that pressure,” Morant told reporters after the game. “It feels like when I shine the most. I like to be the one to take that shot, make or miss.”
He’s been doing a whole lot more making than missing, playing a brand of basketball that’s easily among the most entertaining and exhilarating in the NBA. Kyrie Irving, if you believe Chauncy Billups, is the most skilled point guard ever. Steph Curry, as we told you back in December, is unequivocally the greatest shooter of all time. I have no idea what aspect of Morant’s game will ultimately define him, but right now there’s nobody—and I can’t emphasize enough, nobody—in the NBA who is more fun to watch than Ja. Let me count the ways.
He throws the most majestic, nonchalant alley-oops to his teammates that make the Grizzlies resemble a modern-day Lob City. He’s a blur on the court with such an insane bounce it looks like he’s playing Slam Ball. And he doesn’t just jump, he floats. There are times it looks like the 22-year-old is levitating around the rim, waiting for the absolute last millisecond to release a shot around a bigger defender that nobody else in the NBA has any business taking. Or, of course, making. Hang time isn’t an official NBA stat, but if it were, I bet you Morant would lead the league. His body control and his ability to contort it is arguably only rivaled by LaMelo Ball. For somebody who’s laughably listed at 6’3” and 174 pounds, there’s nobody as fearless as Morant driving to the basket against guys who easily outweigh him by 50, 75, even 100 pounds.
It’s that fearlessness that’s so enthralling, yet simultaneously terrifying. Morant’s dealt with injuries in his three seasons, and even though it’s so damn exciting seeing him take flight, I can’t be the only one who cringes every time he hits the floor—which is often—following another aggressive drive to the rim. I wish Nike made Swoosh-branded bubble wrap so the Grizzlies could protect their slightly built superstar from all those thuds.
Morant’s ascension in Year 3—the 2020 Rookie of the Year will make his first All-Star squad next month—has drawn obvious comparisons to another generational point guard, Derrick Rose, the injury-prone dynamo who made a massive leap in his third season with the Bulls, becoming the youngest MVP in league history when he took home the honor in 2011. Rose’s athleticism—that breathtaking ability to elevate above defenders to punctuate those ultra-aggressive drives off the dribble—was unlike anything we had seen before. Kind of like what happened Sunday in Los Angeles.
By now, you’ve seen it approximately 100 times, but I could watch it 100 more. The most mesmerizing, mind-boggling play of the NBA season came courtesy of Morant when he snagged Avery Bradley’s transition layup out of nowhere, effortlessly leaping to pin the ball with two hands against the backboard. Morant erased what should’ve been an easy two like LeBron James once did to Andre Iguodala. Yeah, the stakes were lower than the 2016 Finals at the arena formerly known as Staples Center. But I’ll argue Morant’s athleticism was way more impressive. I mean, his elbows were above the rim and he’s way closer to actually being 6’ than he is 6’3”. Little guys aren’t supposed to reach those heights.
Desmond Bane, the Grizzlies’ impressive second-year shooting guard who’s enjoying a breakout season himself, made headlines recently saying Morant is the best point guard in the NBA. Even though Morant sports a top 10 PER that’s better than Curry’s, stans of the Golden State living legend would argue otherwise, as would most other sane and unbiased NBA observers. But Morant—whose elevated individual game has clearly elevated the Grizz—1,000 percent deserves to be in the MVP discussion. Right there with Curry, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, and whoever else you want to throw into the mix.
Oddsmakers currently peg Morant’s chances of earning MVP honors at 30-1, insultingly low compared to how impactful he’s been. But you don’t need a doctorate to understand why that’s the case. He plays in one of the NBA’s smallest markets. He’s competing for attention against the game’s most famous faces who are former MVPs. Curry’s authoring an awesome season, KD’s been—at a minimum—incredible, some of Jokic’s advanced stats could end up breaking records, and LeBron James deserves some love for the prolific numbers he’s putting up at age 37 despite Los Angeles’ woes.
Morant’s numbers, especially during the Grizzlies’ current winning streak, are worthy of the eyes emoji—32.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 5.8 APG—and every night it feels like he does something ridiculous. Thanks to that torrid stretch, Memphis now sits at fourth place in the West, a game back in the loss column of the Jazz. Sure, the conference hasn’t turned out to be as rugged as expected, but who saw the Grizzlies, led by a superstar, looking so scary?
Crown Curry all you want. Give KD his flowers. Praise be to Jokic. And LeBron, well, he’s LeBron. But if your MVP debate doesn’t include Ja Morant, don’t even bother.
