Entering the playoffs, the Memphis Grizzlies were hailed as a team capable of making a deep run in the Western Conference bracket.
FOX Sports analyst Skip Bayless was just one of the countless individuals to officially pick them to make the Finals in 2022.
But after dropping Game 4 in Minnesota on Saturday, Skip turned on the Grizz and took to Twitter to slander their performance and, specifically, Ja Morant, who dropped 11 points on 30% shooting.
I picked Memphis to win the West and I do not like my pick. I banked on Ja … and he's turning into Ja Durant.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 24, 2022
Ja celebrated and brash-talked after his team won Games 2 and 3 as if the series was over. Just now, KAT played it totally humble after he led Minnesota to a huge G4 win and said there's more work to do. Advantage: TWolves. I now won't be surprised if they win this series.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 24, 2022
Normally, being compared to Kevin Durant is a good thing. In this case, it’s anything but. Like Ja, Durant and his Nets have been severely underperforming in the playoffs, and Skip hasn’t been shy about making it known.
In Memphis, the Grizzlies have been dominant all year, and it is no doubt the result of good chemistry and a deep roster. They finished the season with the second-best record in basketball and beat many of the top teams along the way. Still, it’s hard not to notice how vulnerable they look against the Timberwolves.
In Game 1, Memphis allowed their opponent to drop 130 points, led by Anthony Edwards who went off for 36 on 52% shooting. Two games later, they went down by over 25 points in the game before eventually completing a last-minute miracle comeback. Ja shot just 27%.
Saturday’s contest was Morant’s worst game of the series so far, and nobody on the Grizzlies stepped up to close the game and seal the deal.
For Morant, his emergence as a star has everyone expecting more from him. Not long ago, Shaquille O’Neal even compared him to guys like Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade.
“I had the ability to play with three fabulous guards that had that ‘it factor,’” O’Neal explained, via Sports Casting. “My first came in was Penny Hardaway. From the first year, he was cold. He had it. Kobe Bryant had that attitude, like, ‘Listen, I’m the best player on the court. I don’t care who’s here.’ And then, when I went to Miami and played with D-Wade. [Morant] has the ‘it factor.’ He knows he’s the best guy on the court. He knows he’s a great player already.”
When you become a star in the NBA, it only increases the pressure to perform. So far, Ja has not handled it too well, and, without him at his best, the Grizzlies stand no chance against Golden State or Phoenix. If Memphis loses in the first round, Morant will be the subject of major scrutiny.
For now, all he can do is focus on Game 5 and do whatever it takes to deliver his team a win.
