Ja Morant's teammate admits Grizzlies will face tough time in first 25 games- "It's gonna be weird"
Ja Morant's Memphis Grizzlies teammate Xavier Tillman realizes it will be a different feeling to see the former miss the first 25 games. Morant is the Grizzlies' undisputed leader on the court. The Grizzlies have fared well in his absence. The energy could be different this time.
Injuries cost him game time previously, and he was still around the team. However, Morant is currently facing a 25-game suspension. The mood around the camp will fluctuate due to that. During an appearance on the "Gill's Arena" podcast, Tillman reflected on Morant's absence, saying:
"You can just tell that he's the heartbeat of this team. When he goes, we go. When he poppin his s**t, we feel like we can pop our s**t. Basically, that confidence for us, even when he was out the first suspension, those eight games, we played everybody down to the wire."
He added:
"But when it came to the fourth quarter, we missing the dude who we gave the ball to and get the f**k out of the way... It's gonna be weird not seeing him these first 25 games."
The Memphis Grizzlies have thrived on their depth in the absence of Ja Morant. However, they have lacked the edge in close games, as Xavier Tillman mentioned. Nevertheless, the Grizzlies have added veterans like Marcus Smart and Derrick Rose this offseason. That could give them more composure in such situations than before.
Meanwhile, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. are adequate on-court leaders with their performances, so Memphis should do better than expected in these first 25 games.
Memphis Grizzlies need Ja Morant in the playoffs more than the regular season
The Memphis Grizzlies have been one of the most consistent regular season teams over the last two years. They finished second in the Western Conference on both occasions, with a 56-26 record in 2021-22 and a 51-31 record in 2022-23.
Grizzlies are 21-5 without Ja Morant this season #GrindCity
They did that despite Ja Morant missing 25 games in 2022 and 21 in 2023. The Grizzlies have exceptional depth at every position, allowing them to be such a solid regular season team. However, that depth doesn't show come playoff time.
Ja Morant's injuries in the postseason have played a role in their early exits despite heavy expectations. In 2022, they lost in the second round to the Warriors in six games, while in 2023, they endured a 4-2 first round loss to the seventh-seeded Lakers.
.@stephenasmith says the Lakers-Grizzlies series is OVER after Ja Morant's injury:
"This series is over. As far as I'm concerned, the Lakers are winning this series. I think it's done." https://t.co/Wvq7emsije
Morant sustained a knee injury in 2022 and a wrist injury in 2023. Every contender relies on their star player more in the postseason, and the Grizzlies are no different. The first 25 games might be tricky for them this year, but in the long run, if it keeps Morant in peak condition in the playoffs, Memphis could make a deep push.