“Willingness to Try to Be Great”: Taj Gibson Highlights Similarities Between Derrick Rose and Ja Morant

Ja Morant has had a tumultuous NBA career. He’s led some good Grizzlies teams with his superior athleticism and playmaking, but has had difficulty staying on the court due not only to his frequent injuries, but to his multiple knuckleheaded suspensions.

Morant is one of the most frustrating players in the league, because it’s always been clear how much talent he has. His shooting has never progressed though, and while Memphis has finished second in the West twice with him at the point, they’ve never had much success in the postseason. Now they’ve torn it all down around Morant, as Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. have been traded away.

Given the way the Grizzlies are obviously beginning a fresh rebuild, it was surprising that Morant wasn’t also moved at the deadline. Maybe that will happen in the offseason, but for now, he’s still the de facto leader of a team that’s on its way to the lottery.

The JJJ deal involved eight different players, drastically shaking up Memphis’ roster. In response, the team recently signed 40-year-old power forward Taj Gibson to a deal, ostensibly to provide some veteran leadership to an extremely young roster.

Gibson has yet to play a minute for the Grizz, but he did join Matt Barnes on All the Smoke Unplugged yesterday, and what he said had to give Grizzlies fans some hope that maybe Morant will be able to figure things out.

Asked by Barnes if there were any similarities between Morant and his old running mate Derrick Rose, Gibson said, “Yeah, I love everything about him. People don’t understand, when you play against him and you’re really on the court, you see how he commands his team, how they embrace each other, how they love and they play hard.”

“Being a point guard, you gotta be a leader,” he continued. “Being a point guard, you have to be tough … But the main thing I see between him and Derrick is the athleticism, but the willingness to just try to be great. Like some players, they talk about trying to be great, and doing what they gotta do, but that young man is special, and he’s really trying to put on for that city, you can tell,” Gibson explained.

The athleticism comp between Morant and Rose is obvious, as is the unfortunate injury history. What’s less talked about though is the way both guards represent their city. Rose of course is indelibly linked to Chicago, while Morant, even as his name was being floated in constant trade rumors, did nothing but state his desire to stay in Memphis and win there.

Maybe that’s what kept him a Grizzly for now, giving him a chance to write a new chapter in his career. Gibson will undoubtedly impart his wisdom on his new teammate, and with an exciting young core around them that includes rookie Cedric Coward, Zach Edey and GG Jackson, the Grizzlies could be positioned well for the future, especially with all of the picks they have in hand thanks to the Bane and JJJ deals.

Rose’s catastrophic injury forced him to seek redemption elsewhere later in his career, but he’s still so beloved for what he did with the Bulls that they retired his jersey earlier this year. Morant might still be able to salvage things in Memphis, as long as he isn’t traded this offseason. He’s still only 26, so there’s still hope for him.