Ja Morant had a very nice homecoming in Charlotte. The Memphis Grizzlies rookie and South Carolina native hand-delivered the game winner, his first ever, through some heavy, Hornets traffic to eke out a close win.
MY GOODNESS JA MORANT!! pic.twitter.com/2pUYmqfWRd
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) November 14, 2019
Morant finished the game with 23 points and 11 assists, and saw his second-highest minutes on court this season.
Overall he’s been invaluable for Memphis, a speedy player who has pushed the Grizzlies up to one of the fastest playing paces in the league. Averaging 18 points per game, Morant is splashy with the kind of confidence that won’t balk when going up against a guy or two, let alone an entire wall of them. The three bounces for luck while the entire Memphis bench watched with mouths wide open didn’t hurt for dramatic effect, either.
With Zion Williamson sidelined with a knee injury, Morant has shined as the league’s top rookie, leading all first year players in points and assists per game. In the new, post-Grit N Grind era in Memphis, they’re leaning on his wild athleticism and skill to usher in a new era, alongside fellow youngsters like Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Clarke, that is far more about tempo and speed than the previous era of Grizzlies basketball.
