Is Ja Morant Enough for Memphis?
Ja Morant scored 34 points in Game One of the Western Conference semifinals against the Golden State Warriors. The result: a 117-116 victory for the Steph Curry-led squad.
Come Game Two, Morant showed that he could bring his game to new heights and then some.
Outshining a two-time MVP in Steph Curry, the newly minted Most Improved Player winner erupted for 47 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 106-101 victory that tied the best-of-seven series 1-1. Morant also had eight rebounds, eight assists, and three steals in 41 minutes.
The question now: Is Ja Morant enough for the Grizzlies to pull out a series win against Curry and company?
Morant’s Numbers and Memphis’ Defense
Ja Morant will always put up MVP-like numbers. He’s averaged 26 points, ten assists, and eight rebounds in eight playoff games this year. However, Morant’s numbers can only bring Memphis as far as their defense leads them.
In the series opener, Klay Thompson hit a 26-footer with 36 seconds to go in the fourth quarter to give the Warriors a one-point win. Yet the Warriors, as a whole, struggled offensively in that game due to Memphis’ relentless defensive pressure.
Thompson, who finished with 16 points, shot three for ten from the three-point line. Steph Curry shot five for 12 from deep, while Andrew Wiggins only made one of his five attempts from beyond the arc. As a whole, Golden State shot 36% from behind the three-point line.
Game Two didn’t go much better for the Warriors. Thompson was two for 12, while Curry shot only three for 11 from downtown. From 36% in Game One, the Warriors’ three-point shooting percentage dropped to 18% in Game Two. It didn’t help Golden State that the Grizzlies’ defense forced them into committing 18 turnovers.
The Ja Morrant Problem for Golden State
Without a doubt, Ja Morant has been wreaking havoc on the Warriors defense. He can score in multiple ways, whether it’s by putting someone on a poster, or showcasing a much improved three-point FG% compared to last year.
Morant is one of, if not THE reason why many pundits believe that Memphis can pull out a series win against a more experienced Golden State squad. Not just because he can score, but because he can hurt you in other ways as well. The 22 year old is the emotional spark plug that powers the Grizzlies night in, night out.
However, we all know that Steph Curry and Klay Thompson can still make it rain from deep with the best of them. But rediscovering their rhythm from beyond the three-point line as the series shifts to the Bay Area is one thing. Trying to contain Ja Morant is another problem altogether.
If you’re Steve Kerr, it’s a tricky situation to navigate. You have two of your star players struggling to hit shots. Meanwhile you also have Morant on the other side looking like he could single handedly carry Memphis to the Western Conference Finals with his play of late.
It’s not a question of whether or not Curry and Thompson can regain their shooting prowess after a disappointing Game 2. They’re consummate pros and amongst the best to ever shoot a basketball in NBA history.
Instead the Warriors will need to figure out how they’ll contain Morant defensively. Because as it stands right now, he appears more than capable of putting Memphis on his back to win this series. And considering the Warriors just lost Gary Payton II to a fractured elbow, that task just became even more difficult than it was 24hrs ago.
Golden State is sure to get an emotional boost heading back home on Saturday for Game 3. The Chase Center is sure to be a hostile environment coming off a chippy Game 2 for the young Memphis squad, and will be a good measuring stick for how ready the Grizzlies are for a deep playoff run.
So it goes without saying that Game 3 has officially reached “must watch TV” status this weekend. After all, as Morant said to Curry in Game Two “We’re going to have some fun,”.
This is indeed shaping up to be a fun series to watch.
-Iggy Gonzales
Twitter: @Godzilla500
Photo: All Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.