Ja Morant

The Memphis Grizzlies clinched a spot in the 2022 NBA playoffs with a 133-103 win over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night at FedExForum. 

It was an impressive win for Memphis, who will be without Ja Morant for at least two more weeks due to a knee injury. Clinching a playoff spot will allow Morant to heal properly in time for the postseason. 

With Morant absent, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and De'Anthony Melton led the Grizzlies on Thursday night, combining for 69 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists. It was an especially impressive night for Bane, who has been in a groove over the last few weeks. 

The Grizzlies were destined to reach the playoffs for the second straight season behind the efforts of Morant, Bane and Jackson. 

Morant is in the midst of his best season in the NBA, averaging 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists while shooting 49.3 percent from the floor and 34.0 percent from deep through 56 games. He has been the main driving force behind Memphis' success, though Brooks and Bane have been significant factors. 

Jackson is also having an impressive season, averaging 16.3 points and a career-high 2.3 blocks, while Bane has taken a significant leap forward in his sophomore campaign, averaging 18.0 points. 

The Grizzlies have kept pace with some of the best teams in the league this season, including the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors. They are 51-23, second place in the Western Conference, which is a significant improvement from their eighth-place finish last season.

Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant is out for Tuesday's game against the Indiana Pacers because of a back injury described as soreness, the team announced.

The 22-year-old floor general is one of the brightest young players in the NBA. Morant was selected to the All-Star Game for the first time in his career as a starter after putting up averages of 27.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 6.7 assists.

Morant has dealt with injuries throughout the year. The third-year point guard had a 12-game absence earlier this season because of a knee sprain. He also missed time while he was in the league's health and safety protocols, and he sat out a game with an ankle issue. The Grizzlies are 12-2 this year when Morant sits.

Memphis is one of the top teams in the league with a record of 47-22. The team is second in the Western Conference and holds a 4.5-game lead in the Southwest Division entering Tuesday's matchup against Indiana.

While Morant is sidelined, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. are likely to shoulder the scoring load for the Grizzlies. Tyus Jones and De'Anthony Melton will see more time and take over the ball-handling duties in Morant's absence.

Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant is having a breakout year and is in the MVP conversation, but apparently he hasn't impressed everyone.

An NBA executive told ESPN's Tim Bontemps that he believes perception isn't reality and Morant's success this season is more of a product of the system around him.

"It's weird to say this, but I don't think [Morant] is quite as good as his public perception," an Eastern Conference executive said. "If you put Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] on that Memphis team, he could potentially be doing a lot of the same things."

According to a survey conducted by ESPN, 15 NBA scouts and executives ranked Morant as the second-most desirable young point guard to build a team around behind Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic. ESPN made a pool of six floor generals who are still on their rookie deals. Morant received four first-place votes, eight second-place votes, two thirds and a fourth. 

The other players in the field were Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Charlotte Hornets' LaMelo Ball, Cleveland Cavaliers' Darius Garland and Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young.

Morant earned a trip to the All-Star Game this season for the first time in his three-year career and ranks seventh in the NBA with 27.6 points per game. He averaged 33.0 points in the month of February with two 40-point games and a career-high 52-point performance. He's put together an array of highlights that have set him apart as one of the most exciting players to watch.

With Morant leading the way, the Grizzlies have climbed to second in the Western Conference with a 44-22 record. They hold a 3.5-game lead over the Mavericks in the Southwest Division.

To the East executive's point, Memphis has not struggled when Morant has been off the floor. The Grizzlies are 12-2 this season when the 22-year-old isn't in the lineup, per StatMuse.

Morant and the Grizzlies will take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday.

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was highly complimentary of Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant during an NBA All-Star Weekend press conference Saturday in Cleveland.

Giannis lauded Morant's improvement since entering the league and suggested Ja could eventually lead the Grizzlies to a championship:

Morant, who was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2020 after going No. 2 overall in the 2019 draft, is making his All-Star Game debut Sunday.

After averaging what was then a career-high 19.1 points per game last season, Morant has raised his game to an elite level this season, averaging 26.8 points per game to go along with 6.9 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 three-pointers made and 1.2 steals per contest.

Morant has also been more efficient than ever, shooting 49.5 percent from the field and 33.0 percent from beyond the arc.

While the 22-year-old somewhat surprisingly led the Grizzlies to the playoffs last season as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, the team has grown by leaps and bounds this season.

With a record of 41-19, the Grizzlies have the third-best mark in the NBA and are the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, making them legitimate championship contenders.

Giannis knows a thing or two about playing top-flight basketball and winning championships, as he is a two-time NBA MVP and won NBA Finals MVP last season en route to the Bucks winning a title.

Since the Bucks are in a virtual tie for third in the Eastern Conference, a Bucks vs. Grizzlies NBA Finals isn't outside the realm of possibility.

First, they will go head to head in Sunday's All-Star Game when Giannis and Team LeBron face Morant and Team Durant.

What could have been for the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Pelicans made what was seen as the clear-cut, obvious move at the time and selected Duke star Zion Williamson with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2019 NBA draft, but they reportedly wanted to pair him with Ja Morant.

Christian Clark of NOLA.com reported the Pelicans "offered multiple packages that included the No. 4 pick to move up two slots" in an effort to draft Morant, who was a former AAU teammate of Williamson's, as well.

Alas, the Grizzlies decided to keep the pick and draft Morant, which set them on their current trajectory as a legitimate contender in the Western Conference.

That No. 4 pick ended up being Virginia's De'Andre Hunter. The Los Angeles Lakers technically made the selection, but he was included in the Anthony Davis trade and eventually moved to the Atlanta Hawks in a subsequent move.

It is easy to look back at drafts with the benefit of hindsight and criticize individual picks, but Williamson was the No. 1 choice that year for a reason. The high-flier was dominant at Duke with the ability to overpower defenders on the blocks, get out in transition and control the glass as part of a skill set that surely figured to translate to the next level.

And he has been dominant in the NBA as well with career averages of 25.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists behind 60.4 percent shooting from the field.

However, injuries have been a problem. Williamson didn't make his debut until late January of his rookie season and played just 24 games. He was more durable in his second season at 61 games, but he is yet to take the floor in 2021-22.

Morant, on the other hand, appeared in 67 games as a rookie and 63 games in his second season. He has also been among the best players in the league this season while making a jump as a scorer and playmaker with averages of 26.4 points, 6.8 assists, 5.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals.

The result is a 40-18 record and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference standings for the Grizzlies, while the Pelicans are a half-game back of the No. 10 seed and final spot in the play-in tournament.

The idea of Morant throwing lobs to Williamson as teammates at the NBA level is an intriguing one, but Memphis has ended up the biggest beneficiary of that draft to this point. Meanwhile, New Orleans hopes Williamson can return to the court and maintain the form he showed when he played.

Memphis Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. called teammate Ja Morant the NBA's MVP right now in an interview with Tyler R. Tynes of GQ Magazine.

"He’s MVP right now," Jackson said in response to Tynes asking him whether he thought Morant was the NBA's best player:

I know you guys like all those discussions and everything, but if he’s your MVP then we up right now! If he’s MVP, I’m pullin’ up to the crib and we goin’ crazy. I’m not even gonna ask him first, either. His gate code crazy, too. I don’t even know it, but I’ll figure it out when I get there. And then I’m on his ass! MVP, even younger than D-Rose [Derrick Rose, who was 22 years and 191 days old when he won MVP].

It's easy to make a case for Morant, who is averaging 26.3 points, 6.9 assists and 5.9 rebounds per game for a 36-18 Grizzlies team that owns the NBA's third-best record.

He's been the catalyst for the team's massive turnaround. Memphis barely snuck into the playoffs after going 38-34 last year, finishing ninth in the Western Conference before earning a postseason berth through the play-in tournament.

This year's Grizzlies may eclipse last season's win total by the mid-February All-Star Break. They're on fire—after starting 9-10, they've since gone 27-8.

The latest FanDuel Sportsbook odds have Morant fifth on the ledger at +1000 ($100 bet to win $1,000).

He's got some tough competition with the Philadelphia 76ers' Joel Embiid, the Denver Nuggets' Nikola Jokic, the Milwaukee Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry all ahead of him.

However, Morant has more pressing matters at hand as he attempts to guide the Grizzlies to a deep playoff run and perhaps their first NBA championship in franchise history.