The vertical pop of NBA players never ceases to amaze me. But what Grizzlies guard Ja Morant did on this play was on another level.
Morant has been one of the most impressive players in the league when healthy. He has played especially well against the Lakers thus far, recording at least 40 points in both of his first two games against Los Angeles in 2021-22.
It was his defense, however, that left my jaw parked all the way on the floor after the game on Sunday night. People exaggerate this when talking about basketball players all of the time. But the 22-year-old star literally took flight to block the shot of Avery Bradley.
JA MORANT 🤯
ONE OF THE MOST ATHLETIC BLOCKS YOU’LL EVER SEE. pic.twitter.com/mSBEajPDtK
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 10, 2022
You can watch the shot get snatched from Bradley mid-air to see for yourself that I’m not just throwing this overused term in my description to try and get your attention.
No, in this case, Morant used his runway to burst into the air and surprise the heck out of Bradley. The results: He recorded one of the wildest two-handed blocks anyone could possibly imagine.
It all happens so fast that your brain might actually have trouble processing it in real-time. So, below, look at this wild screengrab basketball skills trainer tweeted of the highlight:
This is ridiculous @JaMorant pic.twitter.com/L3YXTUUFRl
— Drew Hanlen (@DrewHanlen) January 10, 2022
If someone did this against you while you were playing against them in NBA 2K, you would throw your controller against the wall and immediately turn the console off. It’s that ridiculous.
But that’s just how life works when you’re playing against Morant and the Grizzlies.
While most people think of the young guard for his scoring and specifically his dunking, the remarkable skill set that he showed on his block against the Lakers is actually nothing new.
Ja Morant’s block reminded me of a similar block he had in college… had to put it side by side.
He’s been like this 💯@JaMorant @RacersHoops @WorldWideWob pic.twitter.com/BBwO6ocFKo
— John (@JohnAntonelli_) January 10, 2022
Just watch, above, a similar block that he recorded in college and you’ll see what I mean.
Memphis has now won nine games in a row and if the season ended today, they would have the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. They’re just one game back of the Utah Jazz for the No. 3 seed and with Morant playing the way that he is playing, they could easily keep ascending.
The Grizzlies have outscored opponents by 13.1 points per 100 possessions since Nov. 28. That’s not only the best mark in the league but nearly five full points per 100 better than any other team in the West has recorded during that span.
After watching that highlight, if you don’t have Morant as an NBA All-Star this season, you’re doing it wrong.
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