Ja Morant lit up the Utah Jazz in Game 2. He did his damage with high pick-and-rolls that allowed him to attack downhill. Morant’s ability to get his shot in the lane and show off his craftiness should be tough to watch for the Warriors.
While it’s significant as Morant is just another young star showing his talent on the league’s highest level, it’s painful because Morant is giving a glimpse of what superstar Stephen Curry could’ve done in the first round.
The Warriors are sitting at home, while watching Ja Morant destroy the Jazz, knowing Stephen Curry was a few made shots away from doing the same.
Morant scored 47 points in Game 2, easily the most among any player.
However, the Grizzlies just couldn’t guard the Jazz as they allowed the Donovan Mitchell-led side to put up over 140 points. The series is now tied up at 1. They’ll be heading back for two in Memphis as the Grizzlies have home-court advantage now.
That said, Morant’s ability to control the pace of the game and control his body in the lane is what’s made him so dangerous. He had just two triples in the game. He was 13-for-19 from two-point range.
The Jazz had no answer for the high screen as Morant would either attack his way to the glass or finesse his way to a reasonably open mid-range floater or jumper. It was a solid effort, and one that is going to leave Warriors fans begging what Curry could’ve done.
Now, it would’ve been a bit different. The Grizzlies have far more weapons than just Morant. Dillon Brooks has played well, and when they are struggling, they can always dump it down to Jonas Valančiūnas.
When teams like Memphis and Los Angeles took on the Warriors, as Klay Thompson has remained sidelined since the 2019 NBA Finals, they’ve been allowed to double team Stephen Curry without many ramifications.
That could be the difference as Morant’s weapons combined with his ability to find those weapons keep the defense honest when thinking about helping off their man. Regardless of that, Morant has been cooking the Jazz, and he’s proving that they are formidable.
If Morant can do that, fans can just imagine how much Curry could’ve torn them up.