National Basketball Association

Ja Morant might be MVP ineligible, but he still plays like one

Updated Dec. 20, 2023 1:50 p.m. ET

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Ric Bucher

FOX Sports NBA Analyst

In case anyone had forgotten exactly what Ja Morant's off-court issues last year cost him, the Memphis Grizzlies and the NBA, Morant wasted no time in reminding everyone on Tuesday: Nothing less than one of the most unique, dynamic and entertaining players on the planet. Which only made his season debut performance all the more bittersweet.  

After serving a 25-game suspension that makes him officially ineligible for this season's NBA Most Valuable Player award, Morant put on a performance in his season debut that might have otherwise put him in the thick of the race. Morant could not be contained, either by his supposed minute restriction or the New Orleans Pelicans defense, scoring 14 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, including the game-winning shot as time expired for a 115-113 Grizzlies' win. As his teammates swarmed him, Morant looked in the direction of his dad, Tee Morant, and appeared to shout, "I'm back!"

Morant's return felt seismic, inspiring multiple massive shifts in momentum. The Grizzlies arrived in New Orleans lugging a five-game losing streak and the worst offense in the league. Conversely, the Pelicans went into the game with a four-game winning streak that had put them five games over .500 for the first time this season.

The performance by Morant was also starkly different than his previous one, eight months earlier, as the Los Angeles Lakers booted him and the rest of the highly favored No. 2-seeded Grizzlies out of the first round of the playoffs with a 40-point drubbing. Morant had arguably his worst performance of the 2022-23 season that night, scoring 10 points on 3-of-16 shooting, an abrupt end to a season that had held so much promise. Six weeks later, commissioner Adam Silver suspended Morant from team activities for the remainder of the offseason and the first 25 games of this season after video surfaced of Morant waving a handgun for a second time on social media. The first incident, in March, had resulted in an investigation, followed by an eight-game suspension and a meeting with Silver, after which Morant pledged to change his ways. The second incident occurred in mid-May and clearly infuriated Silver. 

It was a massive fall from grace for someone being touted as a potential future face of the league. Morant, despite being the No. 2 pick, still entered the league as an underdog, overshadowed by the No. 1, Zion Williamson. But it fit his profile, rising to national attention by guiding Murray State to a March Madness appearance and first-round upset of fifth-seeded Marquette. While Williamson struggled with injuries and weight issues, Morant played in 67 of 73 games and won rookie of the year with a style that was nearly as flashy as Williamson's.

The ascension continued as the Grizzlies became a postseason fixture and Morant earned two All-Star berths. But all that evaporated late last season with reports of mall fights and court appearances and suspension-inducing videos of him waving a gun.

The 25-game suspension, combined with a new instituted rule that players must play a minimum of 65 games to be eligible for regular-season awards, effectively eliminates him from MVP and All-NBA consideration.

"I ain't play a game in eight months," he said in the post-game on-court interview. "Had a lot of time to learn myself. Lot of hard days where I went through it. But basketball is my life, what I love, it's therapeutic for me and I'm just excited to be back."

What made the performance all the more remarkable is that he did all of his damage in the paint against a Pelicans team that does not lack for size with a front line of 6-foot-11 center Jonas Valanciunas and a pair of spidery 6-8 forwards, Herb Jones and Brandon Ingram. All 12 of his field goals were within eight feet of the rim and of his 24 shots overall, only six were from beyond 15 feet, all misses. By the fourth quarter, it was pretty clear where Morant was going and yet the Pelicans were helpless to stop him. On the final play, following a Memphis timeout with 10 seconds and the score tied 113-all, New Orleans coach Willie Green put his most mobile, defensively switchable quintet on the floor — Dyson Daniels, Trey Murphy, Naji Marshall, Ingram and Jones. All long and rangy and super athletic. It did not matter. As he had done repeatedly, Morant spun past Jones and eluded a closing Daniels, hanging in the air between them before flipping up a shot that hit the back of the rim, caromed softly off the backboard and fell through as time ran out.

As often as Morant attacked the rim, though, he went about it in a noticeably different way. Injuries have been an issue as a result of him not just trying to drive through the defense but fly over it as well, resulting in a lot of breathtaking falls on the baseline. There was none of that against the Pelicans. While his shots came from in close, he relied on scoop shots and cleverly angled floaters off the glass as opposed to approaching the rim at eye level. There was only one notable tumble, when he finished a layup and essentially somersaulted into the baseline's front row, but that was more his momentum carrying him than being knocked out of the air.

Perhaps he was simply being cautious in his first game back, but it would show considerable growth in his approach if it's actually a sea change in strategy. But what about his growth off the court? Is the reckless, callous behavior that wrecked last season been curbed as well? The presence of his dad in a baseline seat, marginally less obtrusive in a bright green hoodie, was an interesting statement, particularly on the road, considering there have been reports that portrayed Tee as a questionable influence, a view echoed by league sources to FOX Sports. 

Only time will ultimately tell. All that is certain now is that the Grizzlies in particular, and the NBA in general, is far more exciting with Morant than without him. Even the Pelicans would reluctantly agree.

Ric Bucher is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. He previously wrote for Bleacher Report, ESPN The Magazine and The Washington Post and has written two books, "Rebound," on NBA forward Brian Grant's battle with young onset Parkinson's, and "Yao: A Life In Two Worlds." He also has a daily podcast, "On The Ball with Ric Bucher." Follow him on Twitter @RicBucher.

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Ja Morant

Memphis Grizzlies

National Basketball Association

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Ja Morant

Memphis Grizzlies

NBA - Memphis Grizzlies vs. New Orleans Pelicans - 12/20/2023

Ric Bucher