Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant is fueling an impressive playoff showing

Ja Morant has been all but unstoppable for the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA playoffs.

Over his past four games, including the play-in tournament and the first round of the NBA playoffs, Ja Morant has found another gear and is carrying the Memphis Grizzlies coming up huge in the clutch in these crucial games.

Only 21 years old, Morant is playing like a seasoned veteran considering this being his first taste of the postseason. Expected to make that jump and develop tremendously after a fantastic rookie campaign in which he took home NBA Rookie of the Year honors, Morant has continued to shine throughout the season carrying the Grizzlies to just enough victories to capture a spot in the play-in tournament.

In their elimination game against the Golden State Warriors, Morant exploded for 35 points, six rebounds, and six assists leading the Grizzlies to their first playoff appearance since 2017. He also scored 26 points in his very first playoff game as he led his team to victory against the Utah Jazz and came back even stronger in Game 2 of the series dropping a career-high 47 points albeit in a losing effort.

The future is bright for Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies

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Morant’s combined total of 72 points in his first two playoff games is the second-most in NBA history behind only George Mikan and his 47 points in Game 2 is the most by a player at age 21 or younger in NBA history.

Now with the Grizzlies down 2-1 in the series, it will be interesting to see what kind of heroics Morant can pull off. He doesn’t allow the bright lights of the NBA playoffs to affect him and it seems like being in a playoff atmosphere has lit a fire in him that can’t be extinguished. Morant is one of the most electrifying guards we have seen enter the league in years and how he demolishes opponents with his ball-handling, freakish athleticism, and quickness is absolutely amazing to watch.

Normally a regular in the postgame highlights, Morant has a knack for climbing the ladder and trying to put opposing players on a poster with his above-the-rim style of play and is so vertically gifted that he can leave a crowd in awe.

But Morant is so much more than a shot creator and a human highlight reel. He is a playmaker who makes winning plays. Take the play-in tournament for example. In overtime against the Warriors with about 1:30 to go in overtime, Morant drives to the middle of the lane, does a spin move, jumps like he is attempting a shot only to make a split decision in midair finding a wide-open Xavier Tillman in the corner for a wide-open 3-pointer that put the Grizzlies up by one.

On the Grizzlies’ next possession, still up by one with under a minute to go, Morant drives to the lane again but this time shooting a one-handed floater as he connected for two points putting his team up by three. On their next possession, Morant puts the icing on the cake with under 10 seconds remaining with almost the same exact spin move and floater as he connected to put his team up by five with 4.5 seconds remaining in the contest.

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The amazing thing about Morant’s recent performances is that he hasn’t even begun to reach his full potential and we can just imagine how good he is going to be in the future. We can expect to see the Grizzlies in the playoffs for years to come as Morant will lead the way in becoming the great player we all expect him to become.