Grizzlies season outlook: Is Ja Morant flying under the radar?
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) goes to the basket between New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (5) and guard Dyson Daniels for the game winning shot at the buzzer in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. The Grizzlies won 115-113. (Gerald Herbert/AP Photo file)
Before looking ahead to next season, let’s go back to 8:58 p.m. on Dec. 19, 2023.
Memphis Grizzlies fans surely recall what happened that night.
Ja Morant stood in the huddle during the final seconds of a tie game at New Orleans in his first performance following a 25-game suspension.
He was beginning to form a plan.
“Ja came up to me and asked me if we wanted to run a post up for Jaren (Jackson Jr.)” Grizzlies teammate Desmond Bane said about the final timeout of that game back in December.
“I said, ‘No, we’re about to get you the ball.’”
What came next, a spinning layup for the game-winning shot by the superstar point guard, was pure magic. It sent Memphis into euphoria.
You remember that, right? Just like that, the Grizzlies were back.
Well, until they weren’t.
Topics
Memphis Grizzlies Ja Morant NBA Subscriber OnlyThank you for supporting local journalism.
Subscribers to The Daily Memphian help fund our not-for-profit newsroom of nearly 40 local journalists plus more than 20 freelancers, all of whom work around the clock to cover the issues impacting our community. Subscriptions - and donations - also help fund our community access programs which provide free access to K-12 schools, community organizations, and more. Thank you for making our work possible.
Drew Hill
Drew Hill covers the Memphis Grizzlies and is a top-10 APSE winner. He has worked throughout the South writing about college athletics before landing in Memphis.
Want to comment on our stories or respond to others? Join the conversation by subscribing now. Only paid subscribers can add their thoughts or upvote/downvote comments. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.