What gives you the most joy in basketball?
For some people, it’s their favorite team or players. It could be those moments that capture the (not Orlando’s) magic of the sport – game-winning buzzers, poster dunks, alley oops, or the moment a certain team or player achieved immortality to win a championship. A basketball connoisseur can enjoy a good ATO game, crisp defensive rotations, or the role player or young man he has in stock puts things together and shows some cool stuff on the floor.
The cornerstone of the Memphis Grizzlies franchise, and one of the NBA’s most inescapable superstars, Ja Morant, brings a lot of joy to the game of basketball. It resonates in this city and extends globally. He’s one of the few players in this league who can go viral at any time – a thunderous dunk, underhand ball handling, acrobatic finishes, a gorgeous dime or even a near dunk. Ja Morant’s aura has grown every year as those highlights translate into improvements in his game and wins for the Grizzlies.
Simply put, his style of play is what draws people in and gives them a joyful viewing experience, but his winning impact makes him even more enjoyable for Grizzlies fans and for Memphis.
For Ja Morant, his joy on the basketball court comes from setting up his teammates.
“Share the ball, and everyone is happy and playing with joy. For me, that’s the number one thing,” Morant said.
His high-level athleticism and electrifying offense often weigh the heaviest in the public perception of his game, but his chops fly under the radar in his arsenal. Recently, Charles Barkley said Morant needed to improve his teammates – since then he’s averaged 9 assists per game (6th in the league). This play sequence served as a reminder of how lethal he is as a playmaker and what his bread and butter is.
“I felt like I said it since I came out of the draft, I love passing the ball,” Morant said. “I always say, ‘Points don’t really matter to me’. If I go out there and get my teammates involved and we win the game, I’m happy.
Coming into the league, Morant was one of the game’s top prospects in recent years — becoming the only college player in the player’s past 20 years to average at least 20 points and 10 assists. During his career, he averaged 7.2 assists, ranking 11th among all players who played at least 100 games in the last 4 seasons.
It’s the aspect of his game that makes him practically out of control.
“When he’s unlocking everything from a game-making and scoring perspective, he’s pretty out of control and it only affects our ability to be the best offense we can be,” Jenkins said.
Morant’s game can present itself in different ways. Time and time again, he gave out those dimes, followed by his “Ja-ggles” celebration. Over the years, he grew as a general on the ground, manipulating the defense with the threat of his scoring to find open teammates. It puts the defenses in a bind.
“He’s an athletic star point guard who is really pass-first. He shows it in every way on the court by finding us and keeping himself and everyone motivated,” Jaren Jackson Jr. said of Ja. “People don’t know what he’s going to do, but he’s very effective there. So the defenses are playing their game, it’s tough.
That’s what gives Morant joy on the basketball court. Sure, he probably enjoys scoring a bit in basketball, but setting up his teammates for success to win games drives him as a point guard.
“I think preparing his teammates is the thing that gives him the most joy,” head coach Taylor Jenkins said of his point guard.
Morant’s joy in setting up his teammates spills over to the rest of the team in countless ways.
Taylor Jenkins empowers his players to be playmakers and decision makers on the field. Although the assist average has slipped to 12th place this season, they have ranked in the top 10 in assists every season since the start of this iteration of Grizzlies basketball – including a second-place finish in the Morant’s rookie season. Morant sets the tone for keeping possession with his infectious play and affinity for involving his teammates. It’s the foundation of a Grizzlies team with championship goals in sight.
“You just saw a team play with such joy, and you see how infectious it is when the ball moves down the pitch and the open looks we get,” Morant said. “That’s pretty much what the big teams do, everyone is very selfless. Share the ball, and everyone is happy and plays with joy.
Morant’s joy of pushing his teammates forward goes hand in hand with Taylor Jenkins’ confidence in his player. Every player on the team has the green light with the coaching staff, and he shines just as well from their playmaker. You can see him talking to his teammates on the floor, communicate confidence to the team at all times. That translates into a high-powered offense, as the Grizzlies have moved into the top 10 on offense in each of the past two seasons.
“He talks about it all the time in cinema sessions, in downtime, in training. ‘Get ready to shoot, I need you here. I wanna hit you guys,” Jenkins said.
It also spreads with the culture of the team. You can see this joyful synergy with the Grizzlies, the one that captivated the town and the fan base. From a passing perspective, they boldly look for alley oops in the half-court and in transition, and they sprinkle a bit of spice when they find cutters or rollers. Their style of play creates a winning formula that amplifies the moxie they play with – an attitude worn with Memphis Grizzlies snakehead Ja Morant. They mobilize the post-game interview to celebrate each other’s success, their dances – before or after the game – are enjoyable viral moments, and they collectively bring the hell to their opponents with their trash talk.
It all starts with the joy with which Ja Morant plays – and it all stems from preparing his teammates for success.
Basketball is supposed to bring a lot of fun and joy.
This truth is hidden in today’s coverage and speech. It’s overshadowed by people who prefer to push the agenda, pray over falls, or compare players by putting another on. This can often exhaust a person and lead them away from a game designed to bring great fun and joy.
There are so many fascinating elements of the game that could excite and enthrall someone about basketball – highlight the reel dunks or the alley oops, the underhanded ball handling, the immaculate ball movement with a gorgeous flat and the score to top it all off, the defensive changes, the game design designed for a big bucket, and how all of those things can tip thousands of people in one place. These moments are just a few of the many things I have found so amusing about basketball, whether watching it or playing it.
Ja Morant is a reminder of the joy of the game of basketball – be it his spectacular buckets, his celebrations during or after games and, most importantly, his selflessness for his teammates. His joy also spread through this young Grizzlies team, this fanbase and the city of Memphis – making their quest for NBA immortality an enjoyable experience.
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