Memphis Grizzlies: 3 takeaways from 2019 NBA offseason

3. Morant is the franchise player

This claim might sound insane at first, but context provides the justification. With Marc Gasol bound for Toronto, Mike Conley spent the rest of 2018-19 effectively in purgatory.

There were negotiations that involved Conley heading to the Utah Jazz, but nothing was finalized. Then, when the offseason rolled around, talks started up again. Eventually, right before the 2019 Draft, he was finally dealt.

The package included: Grayson Allen, Utah’s 2019 first-round pick, Kyle Korver (salary), Jae Crowder (potential trade chip at the deadline), and a 2020 first-round pick (protected 1-7 and 15-30). Every sentiment of the old core was now gone, with a gaping hole at the 1 to boot.

That’s where Ja Morant comes in. After winning the No. 2 slot in the 2019 NBA Draft, the Grizzlies selected Morant out of Murray State. The 6’3″ point guard is extremely athletic with innate passing instincts, as evidenced by his 15-assist outburst against Marquette.

That performance was impressive for several reasons. Morant was really the only quality player at Murray State, so he had to do everything for them. The fact that he could be targeted by opposing teams and still make that much of an impact bodes well for his NBA future.

Where does this leave Triple J in the pecking order? As a supercharged complement, of course.