Midway through the second quarter of Tuesday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks, Ja Morant stole the ball and raced alone in a fast break. The crowd went wild expecting a ferocious dunk, but what they got was a basic, two-hand slam that didn’t even rock the rim. Did Ja Morant really stop with flashy dunking? Will this Ja Morant no dunks policy continue?
Ja Morant Says Health Over Dunking
The fans booed when Morant, who has had countless viral highlights dunking over people finished with a “soft dunk”. But he says that there is a reason why he is not dunking hard anymore. Following the game, he said,
“Sometimes I get knocked out the air and [a foul] don’t get called, and now I’m out longer than what I’m supposed to be. Sometimes the foul might get called; I still hit the floor, but after the game, you might feel that little fall. So I just pick and choose, man. Hey, two points is two points. I get it done. That’s all that matters.”
Speaking about the fans who booed him, he said,
“Hey, I’m fine with that. Continue to boo me. Hey, I got two points. It was still a dunk. It was just not the dunk they wanted to see. But if they boo me off a little rim-grazer, I’m fine with that.”
He did dunk one time when he got back from injury. But even then, he said he was done with dunking. And now, he reinstated it, saying he is not trying to dunk at all. Despite fans thinking he is lying, he confirmed he is dead serious about it.
Ja Will Not Participate In Dunk Contest
When a reporter asked him after the game, whether he would be willing to participate in the dunk contest during All-Star weekend as a way to make it up to fans, he shot down the idea. He said,
“If I’m chillin’ on the in-game, you ain’t gotta worry dunk contest, either. Man, my focus right now is do what I can with the team and continue to try to get to 100 percent.”
So far this season, Morant has dunked only three times in 12 games. He is trying as hard as possible to avoid the spectacular dunks over defenders that defined his early years. Those highlights made him one of the most popular players in the league, but now he is avoiding them.
When Ja says he is prioritizing self-preservation, he has a point. The last time he tried to dunk, he was sidelined for eight games. Morant suffered a posterior hip subluxation and associated pelvic strains following an awkward fall after being bumped midair by Chrisitan Koloko against the Lakers. And in that game, he was trying to catch an alley-oop when he got injured.
Ja Turning a New Page
Because of the injury that sidelined him last season, fans might have forgotten how good he is. A while ago, Morant spoke about how the experience helped him become a better person. He talked about turning into a better version of himself, saying,
“Everything I’ve been through, I wanna remember that feeling I felt each time, no matter what situation it was. I feel like it helped me a lot, it helped me grow more into a better Ja. Right now, you know, I’m probably the happiest I feel like I’ve been in a while. You know just having my family, my AAU team, and the little things I was doing to keep me going and that makes me happy being able to do it this offseason – catching up with a lot of my family has been good.”
Derrick Rose, a Cautionary Tale
Many people compare Ja Morant to the early days of Derrick Rose. The latter was the youngest MVP in league history, and his explosiveness played a huge part in it. Sadly, Rose’s career was derailed by injuries. Last season, Morant had the privilege of being Derrick’s teammate.
Both were on the Grizzlies roster, and both were sidelined by injuries. Ja played only nine games last season while Rose appeared in 24 games for the Grizzlies. The two became close friends, and when Rose announced his retirement, Ja said he paved the way for guys like him.
With his new approach to dunking and playing, Ja looks like he is looking at Derrick Rose as a cautionary tale. He would rather have wins and championships than highlights on SportsCenter.
