How The Grizzlies Are Winning Games Without Ja Morant
The Memphis Grizzlies have been wildly inconsistent this season. When Ja Morant went down with a knee injury, there was concern about this team’s chances to win games without their star guard. To their credit though, they’ve been playing at a high level recently and have won four straight games since Morant went down.
The major standout during this stretch is their defense. In their last four games, they’re allowing 90.3 points per game which is significantly lower than the 111.8 points per game they’ve averaged for the year.
While the headline is the defensive improvement, they still have to find ways to score, and without Morant, that has proven difficult at times. Two guys that have been talked about often for this team are Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr.
Bane led the way with 29 points vs. Dallas, Jaren had 25 against Toronto, and Dillon Brooks led the way with 21 in the win over Sacramento. They’ve had different guys step up each night, and they’ll need that quality team production moving forward.
The Grizzlies’ depth was on full display against the Oklahoma City Thunder as nine different Grizzlies scored double-digits, led by Jaren Jackson Jr’s 27. Memphis won this game by 152-79, which set an NBA record for winning margin.
Moving forward, Morant’s injury isn’t the only one they have to worry about as they’ve been without the services of other vital players, most notably Kyle Anderson and Brandon Clarke. This is a team that prides itself on outworking their opponent, and it seems as if they’ve gotten their tough attitude and their swagger back of late.
The Grizzlies have yet to trail at any point during these past four games. They’ve been dominant from the opening tip to the final buzzer, and they’ll look to continue their winning ways in the coming days.
As shaky of a season as it’s been for Memphis, they currently have a 13-10 record and are in 4th place in the Western Conference standings. Outside of the top three teams in the conference, every other team has been equally as inconsistent, allowing Memphis to jump up the standings quickly with this win streak.
These next couple of weeks without Ja Morant will be very important for this team. They need to find ways to succeed without their young superstar leading the way, which is a valuable learning experience. Morant has been sensational, and this time without him will make the team much more dangerous once he returns.
-Chris Kern
Twitter: @ChrisKern11