Kendrick Perkins Speaks on Grizzlies: “Austin Reaves Has Had More of a Productive Season This Year Than Ja Morant”

Now that the NBA All-Star break is in the rearview mirror, teams are readying themselves for the playoffs. That includes the Memphis Grizzlies, who are currently tied for second in the Western Conference with a 37-20 record. That isn’t enough for ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins though, who believes that the Grizz need more out of Ja Morant if they’re going to have any hope of being a Finals contender.

Perkins argued that Memphis can’t go toe-to-toe with Denver or Oklahoma City if Jaren Jackson Jr. is the best player on the team, and he called Morant out for having a dip in production compared to his last few seasons.

He even brought up Lakers’ guard Austin Reaves, and said that statistically, Morant was having a worse season than him.

“Ja Morant needs to be that guy, and Ja Morant honestly hasn’t been that guy all season long,” he said.  “One could argue that Austin Reaves and I say this respectfully, Austin Reaves has had more of a productive season this year than Ja Morant.”

Perkins said to check the numbers if you didn’t believe him, so let’s do that. Morant’s production is definitely down from the past few seasons. He’s averaging 20.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game compared to 26.0/5.8/8.1 in the past two seasons combined (he played only nine games last year due to suspension and injury).

That’s a pretty big drop-off, though it should be emphasized that a) he’s playing about three minutes per game less this season, and b) the Grizzlies do have one of the best records in the league, so something is definitely working.

Reaves isn’t putting up better numbers than Morant, though he’s not so far off. He’s averaging 19.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game as the third option on the Lakers, first behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and now behind LeBron and Luka Doncic.

Now while Morant does have better (barely) numbers than Reaves, the context around them proves Perkins’ point. If an All-Star level franchise player is averaging similar numbers to a non-All Star third choice player, then there could be esrious repurcussions come the post-season.

Is Kendrick Perkins right about Ja Morant?

Perkins said that Morant is a superstar, and superstars need to carry their teams in the playoffs. On that point, he’s absolutely correct.

But he ruined his own argument when he shouted down colleague Brian Windhorst, who argued that the Grizzlies have been sharing the wealth more this year, which is why Morant’s numbers are down.

“That’s cool in the regular season, but you know as well as I know, the superstars are going to take you home,” he emphasized. “Ja Morant is a superstar. He needs to be the best player on that team in order for the Memphis Grizzlies to get where they’re trying to go.”

Ja Morant has battled injuries throughout his career. He’s rarely been healthy come playoff time, which is why it’s smart that Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins is limiting his minutes and his usage. Morant’s numbers are down precisely so that he’ll be at full strength to carry Memphis in the postseason.

It sounds like Perkins would rather see him play more minutes per game and average more points, but that could come at the expense of his health when the Grizzlies need him.

Memphis has its priorities straight. The Grizzlies are already the 2-seed in the West. There’s nothing Morant could conceivably do to help them catch the Thunder, who are 9.5 games ahead. Memphis is in the best spot it could be in, and Morant, as of now at least, is healthy.

As Windhorst pointed out, Donovan Mitchell’s numbers are down also, and the Cavs are better than ever. Contrast that with the Knicks, whose starters are putting up big numbers but who are once again showing signs of breaking down before the playoffs because of the heavy minutes they’re playing.

Time will tell if the Grizzlies can make a playoff run, but from here it looks like they’re doing everything right to give themselves the best chance for success.