A new NBA season begins soon for Ja Morant‘s Memphis Grizzlies following a disappointing and discouraging 2023-24 campaign. With Morant and others returning from injury and expectations high, some in the media are not so quick to catapult Memphis up the West standings as others are.
Ja Morant’s Memphis Grizzlies Not a Lock in West Per NBA Analyst
A Tough Path Awaits for Ja Morant’s Grizzlies
Expectation talks surrounding Ja Morant’s Memphis Grizzlies are a popular topic of NBA talk show conversations this week. Earlier this week, ESPN NBA analyst Richard Jefferson seemed ready to uplift the Grizzlies back to where they were two seasons ago when they were 51-31, finishing 2nd in the West. The year prior, Memphis finished with an even better record, 56-26, with the 2nd seed. Last season, however, was dismal, and a season Memphis has left in the dust.
With Ja Morant back and healthy, it would be natural to put Memphis right back at the top of the West. The West could have a different plan in store for the Grizzlies. It is fair to say that the Western Conference competitive meter has only risen with the number of more teams matching best-on-best in competitive and combative spirit. The talent in the West is also ridiculous. Of course, the West has proved to be the superior conference for a couple of decades now. The NBA’s initiation of the play-in tournament has only made things crazier. The 2024-25 season should be no different, possibly making things a little murkier for some younger teams. In this case, the Grizzlies.
ESPN Analyst Cautions Grizzlies Hype
Festus Ezeli, former Golden State Warriors player and 2015 champion, is pressing down the breaks on the Memphis Grizzlies’ talk while on NBA Today on ESPN. While discussing Ja Mortant’s return to health and other injured players like Desmond Bane, Brandon Clarke, and Marcus Smart, Ezeli enforced a “prove it to me” and a “wait and see” outlook on the Grizzlies’ chances this season.
“Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies have a lot of pieces on this team that really can take them back to the top.”
Ezeli continued with the injuries Memphis suffered last year and improved Western teams over the past few years.
“I think the Memphis Grizzlies have to show in the West that they’ll be fine again.”
Ezeli was referencing Ja Morant’s “I’m fine in the West” remark during the 2022-23 season. The new NBA Today addition is right in being cautious to hail the Grizzlies a guaranteed top seed in the West. However, let’s not count out Ja Morant’s impact.
Ja Morant and Company Can Reverse All Caution
Ja Morant is lethal. The aforementioned players who missed significant time last season are all back and healthy. Plus, Memphis drafted Purdue center Zach Edey this summer. His size and rim-protecting abilities have great NBA potential. Next to former DPOY Jaren Jackson Jr, that potential could shut down many NBA offenses in the paint. Edey could also help unleash JJJ on the offensive end. Opening up the floor for Jackson to shoot more threes while Edey commands the paint could be on Memphis’s drawing board. Edey’s screen setting could also open the floor even more for Ja Morant and company to shoot more threes. So, while it is wise not to crown any team yet, as Festus Ezeli has said, it is fair to consider that the Grizzlies will be an outstanding team. They have to roster to regain their success from two seasons ago.
Ezeli’s ESPN counterpart, Kendrick Perkins, pushed back by claiming the Grizzlies could be a top-three seed in the West. The only team he puts above Memphis is the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Fine in the West Again
This may be the season where youth steps up in a huge way. Teams like the Thunder, Timberwolves, Grizzlies, and even the Rockets could all have excellent seasons. Ja Morant, however, is looking for the top to feel fine again in the West.
