Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant named NBA Most Improved Player

Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant of Dalzell, South Carolina was named the National Basketball Association most improved player on Monday. Morant received 221 points (including 38 first place votes) to beat finalists Dejounte Murray of the San Antonio Spurs and Darius Garland of the Cleveland Cavaliers according to Dana Gauruder of hoopsrumors.com.

In 2021-22, Morant was an All-Star for the first time in his career. He averaged 27.4 points per game, a rise from the 19.1 points per game in 2020-21. Morant also had career highs this season in field goal percentage (.493), three-point percentage (.344), free throw percentage (.761), rebounds per game (5.7), steals per game (1.2), and blocks per game (0.4).

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Not the entire statistical line was positive for Morant however. He had a career worst in assists per game (6.7), and a career-high in turnovers per game (3.4). Also  in hearing Morant won the NBA Most Improved Player of the Year Award, my mind instantly went back to the early stages of the season before Christmas, when the Grizzlies were playing their best basketball of the season without Morant in the lineup. The title of my piece for The Sporting Base was “Are the Memphis Grizzlies actually better without Ja Morant?”

As the NBA playoffs are taking shape, the Grizzlies are currently in a dog fight with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Quarterfinals. The teams are tied at two games apiece, but the Timberwolves could easily be up three games to one. In game three of the series, the Grizzlies were down by 26 points before coming back to win the game 104-95. 

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