Ja Morant may claim that everything is alright between him and the Grizzlies. But with every passing game, it is becoming increasingly clear that he is not happy with the way things are functioning in the franchise.
In their most recent 100-114 loss to the Thunder, Morant finished the game with 11 points, eight assists, and three rebounds, while shooting 16.7% from the field (3-of-18). Subsequently, he was asked about why his numbers around finishing at the rim have fallen drastically this season. He did not particularly seem to like that question.
“I’m getting no foul calls. Y’all had a whole spiel about running in there carelessly and getting hurt. So what’s now? That’s what y’all want me to go back doing? Let’s end that convo right there,” said a seemingly frustrated Morant.
At the peak of his driving utilisation, Morant’s shooting efficiency was 49.3% field goal percentage at the rim in 2021-22. Years later, it has now fallen to 38.3% in the 2025-26 season. This fall in production has led to him averaging 19.2 points, 7.9 assists, and 3.8 rebounds in the first 10 games of the season.
For a vast majority of his career, Morant has been criticised for being reckless with these drive-ins that make him prone to being injured. He has already faced multiple injury complications on his shoulder, including surgery in January 2024, due to which he missed several games.
As a result, Morant declared earlier this season that we won’t see him dunk as often as we did earlier in his career. Clearly, Morant took the necessary measures to ensure he is healthy for when the Grizzlies need him the most.
And yet, when his shots are suddenly going in much less than the same media that criticized his dunks for being reckless, now shifted towards asking him why he isn’t finishing at the rim more. This line of questioning would leave any athlete perplexed.
However, Morant also emphasized that he is taking the shots that he wants to and is not letting the defenses force him into taking shots he doesn’t want to. Therefore, he claims he’s not really frustrated with his recent performance.
“That’s why I don’t get too frustrated because I’m in this arena, I’m in the practice gym doing the same thing. Right now it’s just continuing to shoot, continuing to shoot with confidence and wait for it to translate over,” said Morant.
Morant has started this season proving to the NBA world how his athleticism was a key part of his game, and if that is taken away, his production falls drastically. He has also simultaneously been having a rift with the coaching staff while constantly reassuring that his relationship with the front office and the franchise’s coaching staff remains solid.
Maybe it’s time for us to accept that we may see a Derrick Rose-like fall off in peak athleticism for Morant. I hate to admit it, but without the burst and bounce in his step, Morant’s production will almost definitely take a major hit throughout the course of the season.
