When: Tuesday, December 19th, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
How to Watch/Stream: TNT
235 days. That’s how long it’s been since Ja Morant has played NBA basketball. Two hundred… And thirty-five days. That sounds like a drought.
Luckily, the Ja Morant drought will come to an official conclusion this evening. And it couldn’t come at a better time… The Memphis Grizzlies are in desperate need of reinforcements of any kind. Can it come in the form of 12?
That’s about as good as it will get, in this humble ginger’s opinion.
Now, I’m not here to speculate on whether Memphis has it in them to make a run at this thing. This “thing” being the Play-In Tournament—spoiler alert, they do… whether they like it or not. Anything higher than that is a pipe dream at this point.
On the heels of what we refer to in my household as a “scheduled loss” to the OKC Thunder (97-116)… Let’s say reinforcements couldn’t be arriving sooner.
With Morant returning right in time for the holidays, what will Memphis be looking at? Will their Christmas be more of the holly jolly varietal? Or are we going to be looking at a “Grinch” situation?
Regardless, here’s what I’ve got my eye on in tonight’s matchup against the Pelicans.
Guess Who’s Back?
We made it folks. We did it. Ja’s back. The last time we saw himski hoop? The last bucket you’ll find below…
I, for one, cannot WAIT to see Morant back on a basketball court. There’s something so joyous… About watching someone do what—in this writer’s opinion—they’re born to do.
I imagine that echoes the sentiment the Grizzlies must be feeling as well. Seeing as their offense’s current rank sits at a dismal 30th in the league… Joyous must be what they’re feeling.
All hyperbole aside. It makes me so happy that we got here. That Ja got here. How about we all agree to sit down and watch the kid hoop tonight? I bet we’ll all be a bit happier for it.
What Will This Do For Ole’ 22?
So, who stands to benefit the most—the entire team, duh—from Morant’s return? Aside from the obvious? Well, my money is on Desmond Bane.
Or is that the obvious answer here? Is ole’ “Double Deuce…” “The Fly-by King…” the most obvious choice to benefit with 12 back? He’s already been playing at an All-Star level without Ja.
On the season Bane is averaging 24.9 PTS, 4.7 TRB, 5.2 AST, 1.3 STL, and 0.7 BLK. That’s career highs in four of the five and damn near five of the five. That’s on top of having double-teams thrown at him every instant.
Des is operating at a new level on the offensive side of the ball with his running mate sidelined. Per cleaning the glass, his offensive pts/possession ranks in the 85th percentile. That’s league-wide. Combined with his eFG% being right up there in the 89th percentile?
That’s a dangerous player and a dangerous backcourt. If he can keep his level of play up with 12 back in the mix… The league is going to be in a whole heap of trouble.
Who Makes It To Christmas?
After the above question, this may be the one that’s on everyone’s mind. Who is going to be on this roster come Christmas time? Everyone being the Memphis faithful, of course. Think about it, though…
When it comes to your lower-rung possible Play-In teams, is there a more exciting roster round-up in the NBA?
Dare I say… no? In all seriousness, though, it’s worth keeping an eye on. After all, if I’m the rest of the league? The last thing I want to deal with is a red-hot, surging, and angry Ja Morant-led Grizzlies team.
So who’s on Memphis’ 15-man roster Christmas morning? Already double 10-day contract, standout Jaylen Nowell… And fan-favorite Kenneth Lofton Jr. have been roster-cut casualties as we near the New Year.
Here are your guarantees, I’d say… Morant, Bane, JJJ, Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, Santi Aldama, David Roddy. I’d also wager that Bismack Biyombo and Derrick Rose are set for the time being. Don’t quote me on that, though.
Thank the basketball gods for two-way contracts. Memphis would be up you-know-what creek without a paddle in the absence of those. As is, Vince Williams Jr.—convert his two-way for the love of all things holy—and Jacob Gilyard… Well, they’ve proven invaluable.
Who’s left? We’ve got Ziaire Williams leading the pack. He continues to make any roster decision surrounding his playing time maddening. Look no further than his 19 PTS, 7 TRB, and 5 AST last night as proof of this.
There’s Xavier Tillman Sr. and John Konchar, who each may hold trade value around the league. And there’s Jake LaRavia. Who… may also? But that’s quite the reach.
Who knows if any of these four will still be on the roster in three—hell, even two—weeks. Tonight is a prime example, though, of them doing everything they can to stake their claim to a roster spot. Every opportunity is going to matter at this point.
Photo Credit: (Justin Ford/Getty Images)