No team in the NBA’s Western Conference can claim to be as hot as the Memphis Grizzlies. Six wins in a row now have gotten the Grizzlies back to a familiar spot - near the top of the playoff standings. Memphis is only a half game back from the #2 seed that was theirs the two seasons before the last one. And only three teams - the Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics, and Cleveland Cavaliers - boast a better point differential than the Grizzlies.
There are lots of reasons for this. From Jaren Jackson Jr. looking the part of an All-NBA contributor to possible Rookie of the Year votes for Jaylen Wells, the list of big-time contributions is long but distinguished.
Perhaps the biggest reason - especially the last two games - is also maybe the biggest surprise.
Ja Morant is playing really good defense.
No, seriously. REALLY good defense.
The 1st quarter of the Indiana Pacers game aside (lets all agree that never happened and move on), over the last two games Morant is showing some of the best effort of his career on the defensive end of the floor. And that effort is directly connecting to better play.
Because when you are as athletic as Ja Morant is, being a poor defender is more choice than a set in stone struggle. While lots of reasons - not excuses, reasons - have led to Ja’s “choice” in the past (offensive usage, first and foremost) that is not transpiring at this stage.
And Memphis is directly reaping the benefits. Just watch this string of clips from Morant in a recent game with the New Orleans Pelicans. If your eyes are telling you that Ja is popping off the screen on BOTH ends of the floor, you’d be the proud owner of strong vision.
The numbers back this up too. Opposing teams are scoring -2.8 fewer points per 100 possessions with Ja on the floor as opposed to when he is off of it, per Cleaning the Glass. This isn’t the stat that stands out, though. It is
in line with the -3.3 points per 100 possessions he’d been contributing to the last two seasons.
What is remarkable is that teams shoot -4.2% worse when Ja is on the court in terms of effective field goal percentage. That’s good for the 90th percentile according to Cleaning the Glass among NBA point guards. That of course is thanks to his teammates as well...
Still - that’s elite. If it holds, it’d be a career best. It’s largely coming from perimeter defense - teams shoot 7% worse from beyond the arc when Ja is on the floor. As a player who has been targeted time and again as a weak link in the defensive chain, that mark being so strong is impressive.
His offensive accolades will always outweigh what he does defensively. But as Morant continues to close the gap between his best-of-the-best offensive impact and his defensive work, it will only make him that much more dangerous as an all-around basketball player.
And the Grizzlies will be at the top of the playoff picture to stay.
