NEW ORLEANS — Ja Morant‘s return to NBA play has the Memphis Grizzlies facing a new set of questions.
Namely, could they have reasonably expected their All-Star guard to be so productive, so soon?
Or, did they suspect that having Morant back in the lineup would make winning – and contending – look so achievable for a club that managed just six victories in its first 25 games?
“You have a player like that, he makes everybody better, from our top guys to our role-playing guys,” Grizzlies shooting guard Desmond Bane said. “So you can’t overestimate how good he’s and the way a lot impression he has.”
Morant has averaged 28.8 factors by way of his first 4 video games since coming back from an NBA suspension that stemmed from his antics with weapons on social media. Memphis has received all 4 of these video games to enhance to 10-19, leaving them simply 4 1/2 video games out of a Western Conference play-in spot with 53 video games to play.
“I don’t really look at where we’re at in the standings right now with all these games left,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins mentioned. “I’m just focused on all the momentum that we’ve built up over the last week or so.”
There’s no denying that momentum, or who’s primarily chargeable for it.
Hours earlier than his 31-point efficiency in a 116-115 additional time victory in New Orleans on Tuesday evening, Morant had been named Western Conference Player of the Week – for his first week again on the court docket.
“It’s awesome that he got recognized for his stellar play, for the team’s stellar play over the past week,” Jenkins mentioned. “But he didn’t come back focused on trying to win Player of the Week. He just wanted to be back out there with his teammates and compete in the game that he loves.
“Obviously I think he’s been having tons of fun throughout this process, as difficult as it was when he was sidelined for 25 games,” Jenkins added. “But then you saw the joy that he was playing with that first game back … and we expect nothing less.”
Morant scored 34 factors, capped by a game-winning basket as time expired, in his first recreation again, which additionally was performed in New Orleans on Dec. 19. He scored 20 in a house victory over Indiana after which had 30 factors and 11 assists in a victory at Atlanta.
“The biggest thing is that he brings a level of confidence to their team that they were waiting for and a swagger to the team,” mentioned Pelicans coach Willie Green, whose membership received in Memphis again in October, when Morant‘s suspension was simply starting.
“That’s what makes them dangerous, is now that they have their leader, best player, on the floor, they’re playing much more confident,” Green continued. “They’re a better defensive team. They’re getting in the paint and they’re attacking. He allows everybody to kind of get to their rightful spots on the floor, so that makes them better.”
Jenkins sought to ease Morant‘s return by telling him to focus on enjoying the game and not letting wins or losses define the success of his return to the club from the outset.
“He and I talked about, you know, there should be no undue burden about you going out there to have to do this or that or the other to get us some wins,” Jenkins recalled.
Jenkins advised his best player to, “Just go out there, play you’re model of basketball, be Ja, and the remainder will observe – and that’s what’s occurred.”
If any facet of Morant‘s game has looked rusty, it’s been his exterior shot. He’s hit simply 3 of 18 3-point makes an attempt and joked Tuesday evening that his factors per recreation common is perhaps near 40 if he might hit from deep. In the meantime, he’s been efficient driving into the paint and utilizing his trademark, lateral jump-step to get off a floater in a crowd of defenders. He’s additionally completed explosive drives to the rim with contested layups and some dunks.
“I’m just really going out there and just trying to be Ja as much as possible, doing whatever I can,” Morant mentioned. “Sometimes it’s scoring, sometimes it’s facilitating.
“I pretty much just take what the defense gives me but stay aggressive at the same time,” he added. “If it’s 30, it’s 30, but if I have 8 and we win, I’m cool with that, too.”
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