Ja Morant is back, and he is out for blood. Since his return on Dec 19th against the Pelicans, Ja has won both his return games. The second game was just as jaw-dropping as the first, as we saw Ja and The Grizzlies turn back the clock at the FedEx Arena.
Advertisement
After the game, Ja took to Twitter to hype up his shooting guard, Desmond Bane. Bane who finished the night with 31 points, was lights out from beyond the arc, shooting over 40% for the night.
Giving his shooting guard props, Ja captioned the post, “Don’t gotta look, 22 aim different.”
The post also had attached a video of Ja running back while Bane was still making his shot. The action from Ja demonstrates the unshakable faith Morant has in his teammate’s abilities.
But antic aside, the Grizzlies are playing beautiful basketball once again. The fast-paced, above-the-rim playstyle that they were popular for, has once again returned. Leading the pack by example, Ja has done a great job of finding his teammates while also attracting double teams. Most other than Morant can shoot the three extremes well, leading to the Grizzlies finding lots of open shots.
In the two games that the Grizzlies have played with Morant so far, they have looked invincible. In the game against the Pelicans, Ja did a great job of not settling for the three, while also attacking the rim whenever needed. Both Jaren Jackson Jr and Desmond Bane played their respective roles, as the Grizzlies managed to keep Zion out of the paint.
In the game against the Pacers, Morant and The Grizzlies completely outclassed their opponents. Ja played more of a facilitating role while allowing Desmond Bane to have his fair share of shots. The Grizzlies with Morant on their side, seem to have found their Moxy once again, as the Grizzlies are playing hard on both ends of the floor.
Moments during the Pacers game
Ja Morant would return home to FedEx Arena for the first time since his 25-game suspension from the league. While the Grizzlies would completely outperform the Pacers on the night, the night wasn’t about that.
Watching Ja and The Grizzlies back on the court was indeed a heartwarming moment for most fans. After the game, Desmond Bane would share a moment from the game with Memphis reporter Drew Hill. Hill while reporting on the moment, tweeted,
” Desmond Bane said there was a moment, after Ja hit Santi Aldama with the alley-oop, that Morant huddled the team during a timeout. “Hey, we’re having fun again,” he told them.”
After the game, Morant seemed to be a little emotional. During the post-game presser, Ja who was caring for his daughter, Kaari, even told reporters,
” Don’t make me get emotional right here in front of the camera.”
But this wasn’t the last of Morant’s antics for the night. As Memphis reporter Drew Hill would later report Morant would ask Coach Taylor Jenkins to re-do the locker room entrance after the game, due to a lack of enthusiasm in the team’s approach.
With Ja back with the Grizzlies, the league is looking more competitive than ever. The Grizzlies currently stand at the 13th spot in the West, with a record of 8-19. Now that the Grizzlies are operating at full force, we might just see an all-time streak from Ja and The Grizzlies.
