NEW YORK — When Ja Morant took to the air in Brooklyn Monday night, with one fantastical move after another, it was a resplendent reminder that one of the NBA’s bright young stars had returned after almost a full season away from the sport.
Morant lost almost the entire 2023-24 season because of a series of issues, some of his own doing and fault, and some out of his control. Now, here he was again, cutting through the Nets’ defense, spinning and twirling mid-leap — a swashbuckling rim-hunter who piles up frequent-flier miles in every arena he visits.
The Grizzlies surely spent a year hoping for games like this. Last season was fraught with complications and defeats. Morant was suspended for 25 games, and then hurt for all but nine. Everyone else seemed to come down with something, too. After two straight 50-win campaigns, Memphis piled up 55 losses and a list of injuries so long their insurance providers might not have covered all of them.
If that all served as a lost season for the franchise, there was plenty of intrigue to see what the Grizzlies would be like once they found themselves again. Monday, at the Barclays Center, was a reminder that the Grizzlies remain a work in progress, and still awaiting good health. But even though the Western Conference landscape has changed around them in the two seasons since the Grizzlies were last at full strength, they don’t believe their place in it has.
“Still confident,” Ja Morant said. “Two years ago passed. I don’t even know who won the championship two years ago … Two years ago don’t matter. Last year don’t matter either. So all we can focus on is now, and that’s getting our wins and handling our business. Confidence never left.”
The Grizzlies have gotten out to an uneven start so far. They are 4-4 after the loss to the Nets. Injuries continue to nag them. They did not make it to November before losing Desmond Bane (strained right oblique) and Marcus Smart (sprained right ankle); each is week-to-week. GG Jackson, who showed promise last season, got hurt before training camp opened and has yet to play.
Morant, however, is as exciting as ever, though he has been more of a facilitator than scorer this season. He is averaging 9.7 assists per game while averaging just 28.3 minutes a night. His scoring has dropped early in the year (20.7 ppg), spurred by anemic shooting numbers (21.4 percent on four 3-point attempts per game).
But the Grizzlies have made a commitment to playing fast and few are as suited to do that as Morant. Their offense whirs but efficiently; Memphis is 10th in the NBA in point-per-100-possessions.
They have done that while integrating a slew of new (and newish) pieces. Smart, who played in just 20 games in his first season in Memphis in 2023-24, and Morant have already played nearly half as many possessions together this season as they did last season. Zach Edey, the No. 9 pick, has slowly made progress and impressed head coach Taylor Jenkins. He’s done that even as the Grizzlies committed to playing with even more speed this season, implementing a new offensive system and hiring almost a whole new coaching staff. Memphis leads the NBA in least-time elapsed on average before a shot, according to Inpredictable, shaving a half-second off their league-leading rate from three years ago.
Jaren Jackson Jr. believes that despite all the new inputs, the Grizzlies wont need much time to find a rhythm. He predicts that once the team reaches 10 games, they’ll have acclimated to one another. And despite the time missed on the court, there hasn’t been much drop-off in the team’s development.
“Because everyone’s around each other all the time,” he said. “There’s still a level of chemistry you’re getting. You’re traveling together, you’re still practicing together, you’re watching film, so you’re in the same system. It’s not like I’m learning something different while other people are learning something. We’re all learning the same stuff.”
That history together is what’s driving the optimism. The Grizzlies’ core — Jackson, Bane, Morant, and Jenkins — is in its fifth season together. Key contributors have also spent considerable time with the franchise. Santi Aldama is in his fourth season, and this year, he has been an important part of the rotation and a more than occasional starter. Scotty Pippen Jr. used a mid-season opportunity last year to go from a two-way deal to 26 minutes per game this season. Brandon Clarke is in his sixth season with the organization. And even though Smart and Morant haven’t played much together, Morant believes their time on the floor in practice and playing together is enough to build muscle memory.
“As far as chemistry, man, we’ve been around each other for a while, coach and them do their best job with mixing teams up so you get familiar with, you know, everybody on the team,” Morant said. “For me, as the point guard, just knowing where they want to be, and then going out there and execute with, you know, who’s on the floor.”
The Grizzlies have gotten surprising contributions from Jaylen Wells, the No. 39 pick in the 2024 draft, and Jay Huff, a journeyman center who seems to finally have found a place in the league. But Edey, of course, is the biggest new addition. The 7-foot-4, two-time Naismith College Player of the Year, has come along at a quick rate after a meager start. Edey fouled out of his NBA debut in less than 15 minutes; Monday, against the Nets, he had 25 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and just one foul in 29 minutes.
His size and skill and willingness to learn have stood out, and made the team bullish on his potential. Edey has had to go from the center of a plodding offense in college (Purdue was 324th and 218th in adjusted tempo his last two seasons, according to KenPom) to keeping up in the Grizzlies’ speed machine over his first few months in the NBA and finding his part in it.
“We’re trying to give him a simple road map to success out there,” Jenkins said. “I think he’s got really good IQ. He’s got a really good feel for the game, but now it’s figuring out the physicality, the speed. The timing is completely different than what he was exposed to. It’s a different system. It’s different teammates. Lots being thrown at him. I think the impact he’s making defensively, he’s been pretty impressive with him and Jaren protecting the paint, protecting the rim, and then offensively, it’s just how fast we want him to play, you know, because we’re asking everyone. We’re not trying to change our style of play, where he can be a threat behind the defense, he can be an early target for us.”
That will take time, though Edey may prove to be a quick learner. If, and when, he does, it will be interesting to see how the Grizzlies stand in the West. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves have taken big leaps since the Grizzlies last stood as a contender, and the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns are two veteran-led teams that have stood out early in this season.
But Morant has not lost any confidence in his team. That year may prove to be a get-right time for the franchise instead of a full reset.
“This is my team,” he said. “I’m confident in my team every step of the way.”
(Photo of Ja Morant: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)
