At the beginning of the season, Morant was particularly strong, able to shoot, tough style, in the game against the Lakers to cut 40 points and 10 assists, but also scored 30+ in multiple games, and even led the team to an away victory over the Warriors.
Morant plays, not by jumping the feel, nor by touching the porcelain foul, but by really rushing to kill the basket, in the new era, shooting and rhythm seem to have become the two most important labels of defenders, few defenders are willing to "throw themselves into the air" again, because this style of play seems outdated and reckless, and Morant still insists on his own style and interprets the old style.
Morant can observe the opportunities of his teammates in any position during the breakthrough process, if he blocks too many defenders in front of him, he can give his teammates a hit from the gap, attract the defense below the free throw line, and then form a connection with the center, this move has become a sign of the Grizzlies, once made the best defensive player Gobert a headache.
Morant has a mid-range, a hand to break through the throw, and at the same time has the ability to do the ball without losing to traditional defenders, both the nature of a hot-blooded teenager, and a maturity and stability.
Before he was injured, he was the league's hottest rising star, and without one, he had a place on both the scoring list and the MVP list, and fans were already discussing whether he could win an MVP trophy in the future. Morant is also widely recognized as the league's second point guard this season after Curry.
However, during the Grizzlies' game against the Eagles, Morant suffered a leg injury, and the good momentum came to an abrupt halt, and Morant had to stop playing, receive treatment and recover.
And the most embarrassing thing is that during the time of Morant's injury, the Grizzlies' record not only did not decline, but also improved a lot. At one point, they achieved two waves of five consecutive wins, and their record soared to the top four in the West. Although this schedule is relatively simple, there is no shortage of strong teams like the Heat, and the fact that the Grizzlies can achieve such a result in Morant's absence still speaks to some problems.
It was clear that Morant was gone and the Grizzlies' turnovers were reduced. One of the Grizzlies' biggest problems with the season is control errors, and although Morant is one of the best passers in the league, his high-intensity playing style and lack of on-field experience often leave him with frequent turnovers.
Morant's turnovers per game are in the top 20 in the league, even though there are some other influential players on this list. For example, Harden, Westbrook and Doncic, etc., they are the top three of this list, which shows that this data may have some positive significance, but mistakes are mistakes, which will adversely affect the team.
Morant was injured and the Grizzlies put Jones on the starting point guard, dropping the average of unforced errors a lot from near 13 per game to 11.4 per game.
Fewer turnovers are just one aspect of the Grizzlies' better record, and they can win back-and-forth, and most importantly, their defense has changed incredibly.
Before Morant was injured, the Grizzlies' defensive efficiency was 115.1, the NBA's 30 teams ranked first from the bottom, and even the second-to-last team's defense was much better than theirs, and the penultimate defensive efficiency was 111.6, and fans who understand basketball should understand that the efficiency gap of 3+ per game is actually an astronomical number, which means that the defense of the two teams is not on the same level at all.
After Morant was injured, the Grizzlies dramatically improved their defense, and in those ten games, they were 99.8, ranking first in the league, and the only team with a defensive efficiency of less than 100 in this period.
At the same time, the overall steal and block data of the Grizzlies has also ranked first in the league, and in terms of steals, it is also a huge advantage ahead of the second place. This fully shows that in the process of defense, they bring the opponent a full sense of oppression.
After Morant's injury, the Grizzlies' defense was very stable in terms of perception, and in positional warfare, it was difficult for the opponent's ball-holding offensive players to easily reach the basket, and shooters rarely got an easy shot.
In addition, even without Morant, the Grizzlies have played a strong enough offense, especially in the game against the Thunder, they beat their opponents by 73 points, setting a record for the largest point difference in a single game in the NBA, and the name of the Grizzlies has been recorded in history. During a winning streak, they always have a way to gain an advantage in the early stages and then maintain that advantage until the end.
In the first game after Morant returned from injury, he personally buried the Grizzlies' efforts with a single serve mistake, compared to Alexander, who was much more stable against the Thunder, and also won for the team with a key steal.
It is precisely because of this that Morant is now controversial, many people say that he is a data brush, saying that he plays too alone and hurts the team, and Morant is under pressure and shuts down the social platform account.
But is it really better to have a Grizzlies without Morant? The answer, of course, is no. During the Grizzlies' winning streak, a handful of players played the best basketball performances of their careers, and to put it bluntly, their level is not sustainable, for example, Dillon Brooks' three-point shooting rate was once 45%, obviously, he can't be so accurate all season.
Moreover, the game against the Thunder is the first game that Morant has just returned from injury, which is certainly not 100 percent Morant, he needs some time, slowly find his form, and wait until he fully returns, at that time, his contribution to the team will determine the upper limit of the Grizzlies, after all, in the playoffs of real knives and real guns, the most important thing is the star's personal ability to attack.
So, although Morant has not yet reached the level of superstar, he is definitely not a cancer, he just needs some time, slowly find the feeling of the game, please give this young man more tolerance!