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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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 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
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Snubbed? Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. misses chance at All-NBA, significant pay raise
Memphis Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. was not named a member of the three All-NBA teams on May 23. Jackson put together a strong case in the regular season. At times, he was virtually considered a lock to make All-NBA. Advertisement Jackson appeared in 74 games, averaging 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals this season. He was also named as a member of the second team All-Defensive squad on May 22, along with earning his second All-Star appearance. The Grizzlies star narrowly missed his first chance at making All-NBA. He finished with the second most votes of players who didn't qualify. Out of a media panel of 100 voting members, Jackson received one vote for the second team and 52 votes to make third-team All-NBA. Financial implications A lot of money was on the line based on where Jackson landed. Now that Jackson didn't make All-NBA, he will not be eligible for a five-year supermax extension that would have been worth roughly $345 million. Advertisement The Grizzlies could still sign Jackson to a four-year extension, but this is where things get tricky. Since Jackson's previous four-year contract extension was a deescalating contract, Memphis can now only sign Jackson to a four-year maximum extension worth roughly $146 million. Being that it's unlikely that a player of Jackson's status would take that deal, Memphis could look to renegotiate Jackson's current deal to reach a higher number. The Grizzlies would have to release the cap holds to their current projected free agents to get under the salary cap. Memphis would then be able to tack any additional cap space onto the final year of Jackson's current deal. Based on the amount of cap space the Grizzlies create, they can get to a significantly higher yearly average and closer to a number that would lead to Jackson signing this summer. Jackson's current contract status Jackson is scheduled to make $23.4 million in the last year of his current deal. He signed his first NBA extension, a four-year deal worth approximately $104.7 million. Advertisement At the time, injuries were a concern for Jackson. He was coming off a season in which he appeared in 11 games. Since that extension, Jackson has turned that contract into a bargain. He has appeared in at least 63 games in each of the past four seasons, made two All-Star appearances and three All-Defensive teams. Contract negotiations The Grizzlies can begin discussing a new potential contract with Jackson the following day after the NBA Finals. Since Jackson has one more year on his deal, no other team can sign him, and technically, the Grizzlies don't have to strike a deal now. However, it's usually in the best interest of the team to have a deal agreed upon before a player plays out the final year of a contract and gets a chance to test the open market. Advertisement Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies' Jaren Jackson Jr.'s All-NBA status revealed
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ja Morant, Grizzlies vs LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Lakers if NBA playoffs started today
A wild Wednesday night added more intrigue and clarity to the Western Conference's evolving playoff picture. The San Antonio Spurs pulled the upset of the night by knocking off the Golden State Warriors. That game alone has put the Memphis Grizzlies in a favorable spot. Advertisement The goal is to avoid the NBA play-in by securing a guaranteed spot in the playoffs. Only the top six seeds avoid the play-in. Memphis is currently seeded sixth, which would match it up against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. Sounds familiar? The last Grizzlies playoffs series in 2023 was a six-game battle against the Lakers. Memphis lost, but both teams have made notable changes in the last two years. While the Lakers could be the opponent today, things could change by tomorrow. Memphis has a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday (8:30 p.m., TNT), then another matchup versus the Denver Nuggets on Friday. Advertisement Here's how the current playoff picture looks. NBA Western Conference standings today What's next Memphis is currently sixth, but there's still no margin for error. Golden State holds the tiebreaker over the Grizzlies, so if Memphis loses and Golden State wins its next game, the Grizzlies would fall back into the play-in. If that happens, Friday's game against Denver would have even higher stakes. Memphis can still own a tiebreaker over the Nuggets by winning their final matchup, meaning finishing with a similar record would give Memphis the edge. A win against the Timberwolves mean the Grizzlies can't finish any lower than seventh in the standings. In that case, Memphis would host a play-in postseason game if it failed to finish in the top six. Advertisement SUBSCRIBER ONLY: What Memphis Grizzlies' Cam Spencer is hoping venture can do to help NBA players recover Grizzlies' remaining schedule April 11 at Denver (8 p.m.) April 13 vs Dallas (2:30 p.m.) Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies could play LeBron James, Lakers in NBA playoffs
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Grizzlies vs Mavs live score updates, highlights: Memphis without Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr.
One more regular season game remains for the Memphis Grizzlies before they learn their path in the NBA playoffs. The Grizzlies are hosting the Dallas Mavericks at FedExForum on Sunday (2:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network). Advertisement Memphis could earn the seventh seed with a win and a Minnesota Timberwolves loss. Since that seems unlikely with Minnesota playing the Utah Jazz, the Grizzlies are resting several of their key players. Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Santi Aldama are among seven Grizzlies players listed as doubtful. Yuki Kawamura, GG Jackson and Cam Spencer are among the eight players available. Memphis Grizzlies vs Dallas Mavericks live score updates Date: Sunday, April 13 Time: 2:30 p.m. CT Location: FedExForum What channel is Grizzlies-Mavs game on today? TV channel: FanDuel Sports Network Streaming: Radio: 92.9 FM PLAYOFF SCENARIOS: Ja Morant, Grizzlies vs LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Lakers if NBA playoffs started today Grizzlies vs Mavs betting odds Game lines and odds from BetMGM: Advertisement Moneyline: Grizzlies +100 Spread: Mavs -1.5 Over/under: 228.5 Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Grizzlies vs Dallas Mavericks: Live score updates, highlights
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Grizzlies vs Suns final score, highlights: Ja Morant, Memphis sweep Suns in intense battle
The fourth and final meeting of the regular season between the Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns had a similar feel to each of the previous three. The game was intense and came down to the final minutes. Memphis led by three points with the ball in Ja Morant's hands and the FedExForum crowd on its feet. Morant drove to the basket and made a floater over the contested defense, then pulled out his signature "Call 12" celebration. Advertisement The Grizzlies were up by five points with 34.6 seconds remaining. That was enough to put the Suns away in a 120-118 win on Monday. With the win, the Grizzlies have swept their four-game season series against the Suns (30-35). Morant led Memphis (41-24) with 29 points and 12 assists. Six Grizzlies finished the game in double figures. Kevin Durant led the Suns with 35 points. The Grizzlies will be back in action at 7 p.m. CT Wednesday against the Utah Jazz. Memphis Grizzlies vs Phoenix Suns live updates Memphis Grizzlies vs Phoenix Suns Date: Monday, March 10 Time: 7 p.m. CT Location: FedExForum What channel is Grizzlies vs Suns game on today? TV channel: FanDuel Sports Network Streaming: Radio: 92.9 FM HOMETOWN HERO: Family members, friends flock to Memphis Grizzlies' game vs Kings to see '916 hero' Jaylen Wells Grizzlies vs Suns betting odds Game lines and odds from BetMGM: Advertisement Moneyline: Grizzlies -175 Spread: Grizzlies -3.5 Over/under: 244.5 Damichael Cole is the Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC. We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn't influence our coverage. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Grizzlies vs Suns: Final score, highlights from Memphis win
