Memphis Grizzlies: 4 goals for Ja Morant in 2020-21
Goal 1: Improving on defense
The first thing to look at is Morant’s defense, we tend to forget (or overlook) that now the players drafted are 18 or 19 years old. In most cases, American prospects have been taught basketball through the AAU. They are taught basketball in nonstructured formats and mercenary basketball teams play very little defense
Morant’s defense in college was an issue brought up in draft profiles prior to the 2019 NBA Draft. For example, this is what Bleacher Reports’ Jonothan Wassermann said on Morant going into the 2019 draft.
"“His effort died too easily when he fought through picks, and he wasn’t always focused defending away from the ball.”"
This season Morant was a more capable defender under head coach Taylor Jenkins, helping the Memphis Grizzlies rank 15th in defensive rating; while individually ranking 24th in defensive win shares among point guards.
Note: Morant ranked better than guys who are considered good defenders like Mike Conley, Rajon Rondo, and Derrick White.
When you dive into the film there are clear issues that can be addressed. What we’ll look at is; man to man defense, navigating screens, and ball watching.
Man to man defense
Morant, fortunately, wasn’t forced to defend the best perimeter player each night, that job went to Dillon Brooks.
For the most part, Morant was able to hold his ground, but when he came up against teams like the Portland Trail Blazers or the Boston Celtics – who both have multiple perimeter threats, that’s when Morant defensive lapses showed.
These are All-Stars, and it’s not a red flag that he’s struggling to guard Damian Lillard or Kemba Walker, everyone does. But there are things he’s doing in these situations that are making it even harder for him to stay in front of his man.
One of these things is ball watching, too often Morant drifts into the paint, leaving a wide-open corner. Morant also has attempted a handful of ill-advised double teams that results in a cutter getting in a good position to score.
This will be a repeated issue when it comes to Morant, but his weight or lack thereof has been a topic for discussion when it comes to Morant’s health (Derrick Rose PTSD), his offense (more on that next page), and his defense.
Morant is easily punished by his older, more muscular NBA peers. In the future, when Morant fills out into his current slight frame (remember he’s just turned 21), one benefit he’d experience would be able to get around screens more easily.
Screen navigation
As mentioned Morant’s attention tends to drift on the defensive end, so combining that with his narrow body it creates a perfect target for the opposing team to hunt him in pick and roll actions.
Morant is athletic enough to recover and contest shots, which is great — but at this stage in his career, his basketball IQ defensively is a step slower than his actual feet. It’s not a simple fix for Morant but it is mendable. The Grizzlies have acknowledged this by having Dillon Brooks as the primary defender this season.
There’s no blatant reason why Morant can’t become at least be neutral on defense (you can argue he’s already that now), with possibly becoming a positive on the defensive end.
Morant has the athleticism and the smarts on offense that it just requires Morant to lock in, get into a defensive stance and read the passing lines as he does on offense. Morant has the tools with a great group around him in coach Jenkins, and a defensive wiz in Jaren Jackson Jr. — it’s just a question of if he can mature physically and mentally.
The next area of improvement is Morant’s lack of weight.