Is Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant falling in NBA's point guard hierarchy? Here's a look
Ja Morant was riding the high of a breakout 2021-22 season.
The Memphis Grizzlies' star was named the NBA's Most Improved Player after leading the team to a franchise record-tying 56 wins and a No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. All of this was accomplished in just his third NBA season.
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With the cameras on Morant heading into his fourth season at media day, he was asked about being ranked as one of the 10 best players in the NBA by ESPN. At the time, a motivated Morant proclaimed that he had bigger goals and wanted the top spot.
Since then, his progression hasn't been linear. During that same time, other point guards have taken advantage of the spotlight — including Tyrese Haliburton and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, both playing in the NBA Finals — and earned their way into surpassing the Memphis star.
Where Morant currently ranks
Morant is still one of the league's most dynamic point guards. He was having a big-time performance in Game 3 against the Oklahoma City Thunder before a hard fall and hip contusion ended his playoff stint and eventually the Grizzlies' season.
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Before the season, Morant was ranked 20th on ESPN's top-100 player rankings and seventh among point guards. He finished the season with a team-high 23.2 points and 7.3 assists per game.
Morant landed at 34th overall on The Ringer's top 100 player rankings. That dropped him to 12th among point guards.
WHO TO LOOK AT: Five intriguing names for Memphis Grizzlies to consider in 2025 NBA Draft
Reasons for drop-off
Morant is more than a year removed from his two previous suspensions in 2023. The biggest concern now is his ability to stay healthy.
He has played a total of 59 games in the past two seasons. He has never played more than 67 games in a season, which was 2019-20, his rookie year. The league made a new rule before last season that requires a player to be in at least 65 games to be eligible for major postseason awards. Morant has surpassed that total just once.
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The Grizzlies and Morant have made a conscious effort to make sure the point guard is built better for the long haul. In particular, he wanted to be better at landing and avoiding injuries. He adamantly declared that he would no longer be dunking. While he occasionally soared through the air and reminded people of his leaping ability, he mostly stayed true to his word.
He was still injured multiple times this season, but Morant believes the work he has put in to take care of his body is paying off. If that translates into more games being played, Morant could find himself back in the conversation with some of the NBA's best point guards.
'Outside of those injuries, I feel like I had one of my healthiest seasons ever,' Morant said. 'I had no back problems, no knee pain throughout the whole season. And that's what I can control."
Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at damichael.cole@commercialappeal.com. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies' Ja Morant's ranking among NBA's best point guards
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