On March 26, Beijing time, on the previous game day, the Grizzlies defeated the Pacers 133-103 at home, and the record reached 51 wins and 23 losses, ranking second in the West, becoming the second team in the league to lock up a playoff spot in advance after the Suns.
According to previous reports, Morant is missing at least two weeks because of a knee sprain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks, which means that Morant has no specific comeback schedule for the time being, but with the current performance of the Grizzlies, Morant does not need to rush to return, and may take this opportunity to rest and prepare for the playoffs. As the team's nucleus, Morant is entitled to such treatment, but now it seems that he is indeed a bit embarrassed.
Us media SportsCenter posted the record and data of the Grizzlies when Morant was absent this season, of which the record was 16 wins and 2 losses, during which the team's offensive efficiency was the first in the league, the defensive efficiency was the first in the league, and the net efficiency was also the first in the league, while when Morant played, the Grizzlies only had a record of 35 wins and 21 losses. There are a few key games that must be mentioned: in early December last year, when Morant was absent, the Grizzlies had a big win over the Thunder by 73 points, and only a few days later when Morant played, the Grizzlies lost the Thunder by 3 points; in the Game of March 25 this year, the Grizzlies without Morant beat the Nets 132-120, while Durant and Irving combined 78 points in this game; in the Grizzlies' 133-103 victory over the Pacers to lock up playoff spots, the team's main players hit the card in three quarters. Morant remained absent. (Even Morant was taunted by the Grizzlies' own fans.)
Morant played in 56 games for the Grizzlies this season, averaging 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game, shooting 49.3 percent from the field, 34 percent from three-point range and 76.2 percent from the free throw line, and was named an All-Star for the first time in his career for outstanding performance. So what exactly can young Morant bring to this Grizzlies? We can do a simple analysis with a few pieces of data:
First: Morant averaged 30.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game in the playoffs, leading the Grizzlies to eliminate the Warriors in the playoffs, and Morante has clearly improved more clearly this season, and he will become the Grizzlies' most reliant scoring point in the playoffs.
Second: This season, Morant averaged 16.8 points per game on the inside of the league, averaged 4.4 points per game in the league second, singles shooting rate of 71.4% ranked eleventh in the league, and in this season's non-free throw scoring list, Morant is also ranked sixth in the league with an average of 22 points per game, in the list of points per minute, Morant ranked third in the league with 0.83 points, behind Embiid and Alphabet Brother. In addition, Morant averaged 9.3 points per game in the third quarter this season, which is the first in the league, which is a sign that in the key moments of the playoffs, Morant is still the Grizzlies' life-saving straw.
Third: I would like to say that Morant's temperament and hard work are what the Grizzlies need most as a young team, especially in the playoffs, and Morant will always surprise you.
So we shouldn't be fooled by the superficial illusion, the Grizzlies are definitely the biggest surprise in the NBA this season, but Morant's growth is also there for all to see, he said that the Grizzlies led by him definitely have the hope of becoming a spoiler in this year's playoffs, and the temperament and discipline of this Grizzlies are like the black and white era, so I think Morant's embarrassment is temporary.