Why Morant taking more 3-pointers is good
Once Jaren Jackson Jr. went down with a sprained left knee against the Lakers on Feb. 21, Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins told his team they had to let it fly even more.
Ja Morant took the message to heart.
He didn’t take a 3-pointer in that loss but over the next four games, the rookie point guard began shooting more like he hadn’t all season.
Starting with the loss to the Clippers, Morant took three, four, five and six 3-point attempts over the next four games.
The 18 attempts are his most over a four-game stretch, and he made 33.3% of those attempts
It was capped by going 4-for-6 against the Lakers, setting a career high in makes.
So does it mean Morant is turning into a long-range threat?
Not quite. Against the Hawks, Morant didn’t attempt a 3-pointer in the Grizzlies’ 127-88 win but it didn’t matter with the team shooting 14for-32 from deep.
He said Sunday he didn’t like
settling for 3-pointers when he can attack the rim. But when teams leave him open, he wants to prove them wrong for disrespecting him or going under screens on pick-and-rolls.
“If I miss it, somebody says something. If I make it, then it’s like, ‘Oh wow,’” Morant said. “It’s not a big deal for me at all. I said it at the beginning of the season, I believe in me, my shot, I have a lot of confidence. You just gotta shoot it.”
The thing is, he hasn’t been shooting it.
According to Basketball-reference, 66.1% of his shots have come within 10 feet of the rim while 16.8% of his attempts are 3-pointers.
While he’s shot a respectable 35.2% on 3-pointers, he’s averaging 2.3 attempts.
He’s made multiple 3-pointers in consecutive games just once, although that happened in between missing four games due to injury.
For all of his confidence, Morant hasn’t been as willing to shoot most of the season, which is refreshing in an era where 3-pointers are the norm. He’s already a great finisher at the rim and his floater has become an effective weapon.
But it’s also why that four-game stretch was an encouraging sign.
By stepping outside of his usual game with Jackson out, it’s showing the next step of how he can add more to his game.
“That’s big time for us if teams are going to go under (screens),” forward Kyle Anderson said. “He’s going to make them pay. He’s going to knock them down, too, so we need him to shoot that.”
Morant isn’t the first point guard to enter the NBA without a reliable jump shot. Magic Johnson, Jason Kidd and
Rajon Rondo had the same issues and they either improved or kept teams honest as they won NBA championships.
Morant also isn’t Ben Simmons, who has taken just 23 3-point attempts through three seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Morant should be credited for being wise in choosing when to take 3-pointers instead of launching bad shots. But for him to continue evolving his game and helping the Grizzlies’ offense be even more potent, the past week was a good sign of things to come.
You can reach Evan Barnes on Twitter (@Evan_b) or by email at evan.barnes@commercialappeal.com