Is Ja Morant’s passing the key to finding groove?
Ja Morant's offensive output this season hasn't resembled his 2021-22, 2022-23 production. Finding his groove is integral for the Grizzlies' playoff chances. Can his passing reignite his groove?
A lot has been made of Ja Morant’s offensive output this season, as his scoring numbers and efficiency have taken a noticeable dip. He’s averaging career-lows in field goal percentage (43.3) and 2-point field goal percentage (49.9) — while scoring 20.9 points per game, the lowest since the 2020-21 season.
People want to blame multiple things for Morant’s offensive slippage. The majority want to pinpoint it to the offense that runs fewer pick-and-rolls, or that Jenkins isn’t running as many stuff through Morant — something he’s acknowledged he has to do better. Some would even suggest Morant doesn’t even want to run the offense, but that just seems like people wanting to stir drama and friction.
Multiple things contribute to his output this season. The biggest piece of the pie is health. He hasn’t been able to stay on the floor for more than 5 games at a time, with lengthy absences due to hip and shoulder injuries. It’s quite underestimated how much it does to a groove when you’re in and out of the lineup — almost like you’re in a constant “recovery then ramp-up” period.
A stretch of good health will likely lead to Morant resembling his All-NBA offensive attack.
Whatever you think may be the contributing factor, the Grizzlies need the All-NBA Ja Morant in order to achieve their postseason goals. The rest of the regular season should be centered around rediscovering it to build momentum towards the playoffs.
Several ideas exist for Morant to rekindle that offensive spark we’ve seen in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. The popular one is more pick-and-roll. Personally, I think it’s possible for Morant to find looks within the offense to get different driving lanes and angles to the basket — Iverson cuts, slot cuts, more empty-corner isolations, or pick-and-rolls.
Let me pose a question, though: what if Ja Morant’s passing can help capture that offensive dynamic?
It’s quite possible.
This season, the Grizzlies are 9-2 in games where Ja Morant dishes out 10 or more assists, while they have outscored opponents by 146 points when he’s on the floor in those games — roughly +13.3 per game. On an individual note, Morant is averaging 20.8 points and 11.3 assists in this game, while shooting 49.7% from the field (13.9 field goal attempts per game) and 36.2% from 3.
Expanding out to the 2022-23 season, the Grizzlies were 13-6 in those games, as the Morant minutes were a +206 (+10.8 per game). Morant averaged 24.5 points and 11.4 assists, and shot 43.5% from the field (19 field goal attempts per game) and 29% from 3 (93 attempts).
The 22-8 record is a 60-win pace.
While Morant can be a potent weapon as a scorer, especially when cooking downhill, the combination of his scoring and his playmaking is downright deadly. The dynamic is unpredictable, as he could attack as a scorer and playmaker in multiple actions.
Let’s start with the pick-and-roll. It’s no secret Morant’s pick-and-roll frequency has gone down. His pick-and-roll frequency has shifted from being in the mid 40’s (45.3 in 2021-22, 47.7 in 2022-23) to 26.4% this season. His efficiency in this department has actually gone down this season:
2024-25: 0.798 PPP, 0.975 PPP when including passes
2022-23: 0.927 PPP, 1.026 PPP when including passes
2021-22: 0.921 PPP, 0.979 PPP when including passes
An underrated component of this trend is the personnel. He’s going from having a generational screen-setter in Steven Adams to a rookie big man in Zach Edey — who possesses the upside to reach Adams’ impact but isn’t there right now.
Regardless, the infrastructure for Morant to operate in the pick-and-roll is good, especially as a playmaker. He has two pick-and-roll partners that make for good lob threats — a 7’4” Zach Edey and a longtime connection in Brandon Clarke. Jaren Jackson Jr. spaces the floor in their 2-man games as well. When operating in the pick-and-roll, Morant commands a lot of attention. He leverages these blitzes with patience, identifying split-second windows for his teammates as they’re either rolling to the basket or spacing the floor.
The Grizzlies have adopted more motion into their offense, and it feeds into Morant’s playmaking. While people may prefer to see him operate in high pick-and-roll, there’s such a fascinating wrinkle with him as the next-action playmaker. When he can get downhill off relocation or off cuts, he’s a buzzsaw that forces a kick rotation. Once the team commits, the passing window is clear as day.
In addition, the “drive, cut, space” principles (drive left, cut left, space left > drive right, cut right, space right) create cleaner looks for shooters. So when Morant commands the attention of the defense inside the arc, the shooter is moving to an open pocket of space, creating a high-value assist opportunity. He doesn’t even need to be driving. The offense re-spacing essentially opens up the floor and could generate openings.
Morant is a potent transition player with his open-court speed and jaw-dropping athleticism. As a passer, his creativity and manipulation are too much for the defense to handle in the open court. This season, he leads the NBA in transition possessions that include assists at 8.9, and is 3rd in assists in transition per game (2.5), per Synergy Sports.
Finally, these passing opportunities are still possible even without ball screens because of his gravity and passing acumen — vision, creativity, and timing.
So how does the passing bleed into his scoring? It simply adds more juice to his game. Let’s run through the playtypes.
In the pick-and-roll, he doesn’t possess the same gravity out of it as guys like Luka Dončić or Trae Young, mainly because of his outside shooting. However, his potency lies within his downhill attack. Defenses have to pay mind to his passing, especially against the roll man. In addition, his footwork and twitch shock the defense and open up the lane for him.
Again in transition, he’s a blur to deal with. Whether it’s off live-ball turnovers or rebounds, or simply igniting the offense earlier, his ability to quickly identify mismatches and touch the paint is a vital component of the Grizzlies’ insistence on playing with pace. And obviously, transition basketball is an opportunity to create some showtime basketball.
With the Grizzlies’ offense running fewer pick-and-rolls, eyes will be on Ja Morant playing without a screen, especially in the mid-range. Morant is a smart mismatch hunter, looking to strike against an opponent in the floater zone or in the mid-range. Since he’s an inconsistent 3-point shooter, his growth in this area will be vital in the postseason, especially when the defenses tighten up.
When breaking down this film, I was drawn to how well Ja Morant operates in the empty corner. As opposed to the high pick-and-roll at the top of the key, the empty corner creates more space for him, which could generate driving lanes to create advantages. While the clips below are more of his scoring, empty corner creating can stir more rotations within the defense, which could crack the shell of the defense and generate passing opportunities.
Looking at Morant’s game over the years, his groove is found inside the arc — driving downhill, getting two feet in the paint, finding his touch on his floater, and finding open teammates. When things are clicking for him as a playmaker and a scorer, Morant and the Grizzlies are a tough crew to slow down.
Again, the biggest thing for the remainder of the Memphis Grizzlies’ season is centered around getting Ja Morant on the court and in a groove. Last week was encouraging — a big game against the East’s best team on the road, regulation heroics against the Suns, and more efficient slashing against the Knicks (9-16 on 2s).
When considering how to get Morant completely rolling, I’m just drawn back to his playmaking. Yes, the Grizzlies are also potent with Morant consistently getting 25-30 points with occasional 40-point bangers. That also brings so much pop to games — some of the best games to watch were ones he shredded the defense for big scoring nights. However, with the infrastructure of this team — Jaren Jackson Jr.’s rise as an All-NBA weapon, Desmond Bane becoming a 20-5-5 guy, and a system that creates high-value looks — Morant’s playmaking could be a major catalyst in getting where the Grizzlies want to go.
At the same time, I’m not advocating for him to be this “pass first, second, and third” maestro either. The point of this breakdown is showing how Morant’s passing can also fuel his scoring attack. The intersection of his slashing and passing is a byproduct of the game coming to him naturally.
Within these two ideals, it’s also possible for Morant to find his groove without running a ton of pick-and-rolls. The Grizzlies’ principles add more unpredictability, which amplifies his potency. Yes, he needs to improve as a shooter and develop counters when teams are walling off the paint — regaining his floater touch and refining his mid-range game. However, the system can play to Morant’s strengths more than people want to acknowledge. He’s a methodical driver that leverages his twitchy first step into advantage creation opportunities — and once Morant is downhill, the defense is on red alert, and things open up as a scorer and passer.
Regardless, it’s vital for Ja Morant to be in a groove and on the floor for the Memphis Grizzlies to achieve their postseason goals. The version of Morant we’re used to seeing with this season’s Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane is a trio that gives them a real shot in just about every possible series. The catalyst for that reality may start with his dynamic passing.
If you choose to support my Substack, SubTsakalidis — aka “SubTsak” — follow this link to my Allie’s Allies St. Jude fundraiser page. If you choose to subscribe, all proceeds will go towards St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.