Morant turning into a star. Would he now go ahead of Williamson in draft?
Memphis’ Ja Morant made a floater in the lane against Charlotte early in the first quarter on Nov. 10.
And then another and another and another on his way to a team-high 32 points, his fifth games with at least 30 this season.
The floater is a difficult shot, requiring ball control, touch and unusual arc to get the shot over defenders and through the hoop.
“Schematically you want to encourage certain types of shots,” Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “He’s making them. It’s a little scary when you think about his ability to finish.”
The transformation from good young point guard to great young point guard is happening in real time for Morant this season.
With a small increase in minutes but a heavier offensive load that includes more shots per game, Morant averages 25.1 points (six more than last season) and is shooting 49.7% from the field (more than five percentage points better than last season), 36.8% on 3-pointers (six-plus percentage points better than last season) and 77.9% from free-throw line (five percentage points above last season).
Morant also averages 5.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.6 steals.
“Experience is the No. 1 factor,” Morant told USA TODAY Sports. “Just playing a lot of and seeing different coverages. Once I see how the defense is playing me, I know how to attack and where I can get my shots and where the team can get our shots.
“That works into our game plan and I just execute it on the floor. Having a couple of years under my belt has allowed me to be better this season, which allowed
me to start off hot.”
If those averages remain about the same and the Grizzlies continue to improve, Morant will be in position to make his first All-Star and All-NBA teams, a difficult accomplishment in a league loaded with talented guards. He will also be a candidate for Most Improved Player and MVP – similar to Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, who in 2017 was named Most Improved Player and finished seventh in MVP voting.
“He’s obviously taken his game to the next level,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said. “He was highly motivated going into the offseason, understanding
where he can get better. Toward the end of last season, we started seeing his game reach another level. I’ve always said he’s a guy who learns from game experience, watching film and can adapt pretty quickly, understanding where he can be a threat obviously as a scorer but as a playmaker and distributor.”
While most teams would have selected Zion Williamson with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft, the Grizzlies, who took Morant No. 2, have benefited from Williamson’s injuries. Morant has played in 146 games over three seasons with a playin appearance and playoff appearance, and Williamson has played in 85 games, and the Pelicans
did not reach the playoffs in his first two seasons.
Now in his third season, Morant, the 2019-20 Rookie of the Year, had an unusual start to his career, starting with the COVID19 shortened bubble season in his first year followed by a compact 72-game season in 202021. He has not experienced a normal ebb and flow to life as an NBA player.
Following last season’s playoff loss to Utah, a series in which Morant averaged 30.2 points, he went into the offseason focused on finishing at the rim, 3-pointers, free throws and mid-range shots.
“Highly motivated as he’s always been, he was able to formulate a game plan one year after the next and he fully took advantage of the summer,” Jenkins said.
Sixteen games into this season, Morant had displayed his elite finishing skills, shooting 65.9% on shots less than five feet (57.7% last season), 66% in the restricted area (60.4% last season) and his improved 3point shooting.
His scoring numbers have has increased without sacrificing his play-making, and he has increased patience in pick-androll sets and is more deliberate in half-court offense. The Grizzlies score 108.9 points per 100 possessions with Morant on the court and 100.7 points per 100 when he’s not in the game.
While Morant’s athleticism is on display, his basketball IQ has impressed the Grizzlies. Morant usually spends time going over video on a laptop with assistant coach Blake Ahearn near the end of shootaround and again an hour before tip-off.
“He watches a lot of film, and he’s manipulating defenses more,” Jaren Jackson Jr. said. “He’s finding us all the time. He’s dishing the ball really well. We’re getting comfortable playing with him every day. It just gives us confidence. We just have a lot of fun out there.”
You could see it coming with performances prior to this season, but Morant has developed into appointment viewing. With a talented, growing team, Morant is a joy to watch, and that joy is amplified by his passion. Jenkins said, “Ja’s spirit is one of the best I’ve even seen. It’s just infectious to his teammates, to the staff.”
Said Morant: “I just love the game. Growing up, my parents always told me, ‘while you’re out there you always have to have fun with it. You can’t play the game frustrated.’ That’s how I attack each game. Enjoy it. Have fun. And just be myself out there.”