Morant’s Mission Impossible: Has Memphis Set Ja Up for Success or Failure?
The Grizzlies are counting on Ja Morant to lead the charge, but are they setting him up for greatness or disaster?
With high expectations and a challenging schedule, Morant’s situation is being put under the microscope. Can he overcome the odds and deliver, or will the weight of responsibility prove too much?
The Memphis Grizzlies didn’t build a strong team around Ja Morant as he gets older. In exchange for Desmond Bane, they only added part players to a team that lost in the first round of the playoffs.
In 2022 and 2023, Morant led the Grizzlies to the second spot in the Western Conference.
The superstar’s health is in question, but Memphis has been great when he’s on the court. It will be harder to do that after a tough summer.
The Grizzlies cut Jaren Jackson Jr.’s pay to see if they could extend his contract after an All-Star season.
They traded Bane for a huge amount of draft capital and picked up Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in his place.
Memphis also picked up Cedric Coward and signed Ty Jerome. They think those parts will be enough, but the Grizzlies won’t be able to hide their flaws.
Morant is getting excited to play again. That’s great news for the brand. Fans know that he is electric and can’t be stopped. It’s too bad that the players around him aren’t good enough to be a real contender.
The Grizzlies must get Ja Morant more help
Memphis has Morant and JJJ locked in, but the rest of their depth chart is filled with question marks.
KCP is the favorite to replace Bane in the starting five, but he is coming off a down season. The two-time NBA champion averaged just 8.7 points, his lowest since his rookie season.
He struggled to make shots and find his fit in Orlando. The Grizzlies hope he can bounce back playing off Morant, but there are no guarantees.
Ty Jerome was their big free agent deal, but putting him next to Morant would make defence harder.
While the Grizzlies’ star is healthy, Jerome will probably play less than 20 minutes each night. He is a sixth man who can score points. At the five, there are huge questions.
Zach Edey will likely miss the beginning of the season while he heals from surgery on his ankle.
Memphis got Santi Aldama back, but if he starts in the frontcourt next to Jackson Jr., it will be hard for them to get rebounds. When he’s fit, Brandon Clarke will play, but Memphis has a lot to work on.
The first season of Jaylen Wells was great, and the Grizzlies are hoping that Cedric Coward will be their next draft pick.
If the team wants to make a run in the tough Western Conference, they will need both young players to step up and do important things.
With Bane gone, the team’s playmaking, shooting, rebounding, and scoring are questionable. They don’t have someone to replicate his 19 points, six rebounds, and five dimes every game.
The Grizzlies will use a committee approach, but that means young players stepping up and a veteran bouncing back.
Those are a lot of ifs for a franchise that was considered arguably the best young team in the NBA in 2023. Those days are gone, and many are questioning if Ja Morant can win in Memphis.
The Grizzlies traded away a building block for depth. They feel light years away from contention in the stacked Western Conference and without a clear path to improve.
Morant can’t do it all. It appears the Grizzlies have put him in an impossible position, and everyone will feel the pain.
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