Ja Morant is one of the best young talents and future superstars in the NBA. Last season, he led the Memphis Grizzlies to the second-best record in the league and was an All-Star starter in his first-ever All-Star game.
Morant already put the league on notice when he won the Rookie of the Year award in 2020 and continues to draw attention to himself because his talent is what made the Memphis Grizzlies become relevant. The young team even believes that if it had not been for Morant’s injury, they could have beaten the Golden State Warriors and continued their playoff run.
After an incredible season, Morant won the Most Improved Player award last season but also finished seventh in MVP voting after not even being considered a candidate at first. Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green already claimed earlier this year that Morant belonged in the MVP conversation rather than in the running for the Most Improved Player award.
Next season, Morant will be looking to improve even more and will be aiming for nothing less than the highest level, so let’s look at some goals he will need to achieve to enter the MVP conversation next season.
Goal #1: Ja Morant needs to stay healthy
One important goal for Ja Morant to achieve and to enter the MVP conversation is to stay healthy. Morant never had much trouble with injuries despite his athletic and physical style of play, but last season, an injury put an early end to his season and the Memphis Grizzlies’ playoff run. They certainly do not want that to happen again.
Of course, players want to avoid injuries at all times, but it is especially important if Morant wants to enter the MVP conversation next season. Considering how tough his competitors are, he cannot afford to lose playing time or any opportunity to show off his incredible talent.
Morant will need every second of playing time he can get to impress in order to enter the MVP conversation. He cannot afford to let the buzz he has created around himself fade away and has to make sure that every last person notices him as one of the best players in the league rather than just a bright star that is still on the rise.
Goal #2: Become a three-level scorer for the Memphis Grizzlies
Last season, Morant averaged 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists. These are already MVP-caliber numbers, but upping his scoring average couldn’t hurt. For example, Joel Embiid, who finished second in MVP voting last season, averaged 30 points.
While Morant could certainly aim to hit the 30-point mark, he does not necessarily have to because, unlike Embiid, he is expected to facilitate a lot too, and he does not have to carry the scoring responsibilities all by himself.
Morant would be more effective with an impressive, consistent average of between 27 and 29 points, combined with the occasional explosive 50-point game, such as his 52-point performance against the San Antonio Spurs last season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGQjEBmdgVQ
Even though the average throughout the season is more important, it would certainly solidify Morant’s MVP case if he could replicate that kind of explosive, dominant scoring every once in a while. Given that he was able to score 47 points in a playoff game, that shouldn’t be too difficult.
As he has already proven, Ja Morant is an expert at driving to the basket with his exceptional speed and athleticism and at scoring in the paint. This is where he takes most of his shots, which makes sense because he is pretty much unstoppable there, but to enter the MVP conversation, he might have to become a better three-level scorer.
Morant’s 3-point shot isn’t as good as his moves to the basket but he hit a solid 34.4 percent of his threes. This means that to become a three-level scorer, he will have to improve his jumper and midrange shot and also take more midrange attempts to show the rest of the league that he is a threat from anywhere on the court.
If Morant manages to do this quickly and effectively, he will be a truly unstoppable scorer and unquestionably an MVP candidate.
Goal #3: Improve defense
Ja Morant is a force offensively, but he still shows certain defensive deficits. During his time in the league, Morant has already improved and has become quite effective at deflecting or stealing the ball while showing off some monster blocks. In the 2020–21 season, players actually shot 2.9% better when Morant was their primary defender.
Last season, he improved his defense to the point that opponents shot 2.3% worse, which is a great step forward but still leaves room to grow. To enter the MVP conversation, Morant needs to become a much more solid defender who can stay in front of quick wings and not need as much defensive backup.
The Memphis Grizzlies’ team defense was actually better without Morant on the court last season, and that does not look good when you are trying to build an MVP case. Morant mainly needs to improve his individual defense and pick-and-roll coverage, and not just to be in the conversation as one of the top players in the NBA.
If Morant improves his defense, it will make the entire team better, and it will be especially valuable while Jaren Jackson Jr., who is one of their best defenders, is sitting out the regular season.
Improving his defense may be the most important goal to achieve for Morant next season because everyone already knows that he is a great scorer, but without Jackson there to protect the rim, his defense will be on full display. Proving himself as a two-way player could give him a big boost in the MVP rankings.
Goal #4: Leadership and team success
Besides individual goals for Morant, the Memphis Grizzlies’ success as a team will also be important for his MVP case. They do not necessarily need to be exactly as dominant as they were in the last regular season, but they still have to be good.
After their emergence as a serious threat last season, there is a lot of pressure on the whole team to replicate that success, but especially on Morant because he will have to step up his leadership game in the absence of one of the other core players.
While he will not be expected to make up for Jackson’s missing scoring and defense all by himself, he will have to contribute more. People noticed Morant because he is a talented, mesmerizing young player, but he remained in the public eye because his talent also leads to success for the Memphis Grizzlies, and that will continue to be important for his MVP case.
Next season, Morant will have to take on even more scoring responsibility and elevate the rest of the players on the Memphis Grizzlies through his playmaking. During the last regular season, Morant averaged 3.4 turnovers. This number should improve, and he has to be completely locked in as a guard and leader for his team.
This is a lot of responsibility for a 23-year-old, but it also offers him an opportunity to set himself apart from the competition. Every MVP candidate is a leader for his team, but Ja Morant’s leadership means more and is more impressive because he is still so young.