It has been a controversial season for him, but Ja Morant can put it all behind him in Monday’s NBA Play-In Tournament matchup versus Golden State.
Morant is a talented point guard for the Memphis Grizzlies that averaged 23.2 points per game on 45.4 percent shooting from the field during the regular season. He shot 30.9 percent from 3-point range and dished out 7.3 assists per game in pacing the Grizzlies to an opportunity to play itself into one of the top eight seeds in the Western Conference playoffs. Morant is the face of a gritty, grimy team, but he wants to go from gun and grenade gestures to being fully respected as an elite face in the league.
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He drew a matchup against a Warriors team that has NBA Finals experience with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
Jimmy Butler brings a level of toughness to Golden State, but Memphis has young, physical horses that could tire out the Warriors in a one game contest to make the playoffs. Chiney Ogwumike, a former WNBA star, is one of the headline NBA coverage faces for ESPN. She was on First Take with Stephen A. Smith and Marcus Morris discussing Morant.
Is Ja Morant’s superstar status on the line in Grizzlies-Warriors????? @chiney says Ja can “re-introduce himself” as a superstar if he beats Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green ???? pic.twitter.com/MSsPS8IgbW
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 15, 2025
“This month he’s been averaging 30 points per game and shooting 40 percent from three,” Ogwumike said.
“He is trending upward and playing his best basketball. I think people see it and recognize that this is a team that’s dealing with change. I am not saying this is a situation where his superstar status is on the line … Maybe next season seeing how he responds after they have an offseason to correct some of these issues that they’ve had from coaching to playing style because offense did not favor him for much of the year. Next year is really where I am going to grade them [Memphis], but he does have a huge opportunity tonight. If he goes out there and is able to beat Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green, now he’s back in the conversation. He is a superstar already, but he can reintroduce himself with a win.”
He has a chance to create a new narrative for himself, but we will see if Morant does it.
Stephen M. Smith is a writer for Ball Exclusives. You can follow him him X via @CoachingMSmith.
