Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies have made an impressive statement in the first 30 games of the season, darting off to a 19-11 start that has them tied atop the West with Denver.
A year ago, Memphis took home the 2-seed in the West before a second-round defeat to the eventual champs in Golden State, but confidence is sky-high for the young (but increasingly seasoned) Grizzlies. No one on their team exudes that confidence more than Ja Morant, who sat down with ESPN’s Malika Andrews this week and explained that the team they expect to be the biggest hurdle in the playoffs is Boston. That, of course, would mean a trip to the Finals and when Andrews asked if that meant he wasn’t worried about challengers in the West, he affirmed.
Malika Andrews: “Who do you look at around the league as you’re studying and say, ‘We’re gonna have to run through them?'”
Ja Morant: “Celtics”
MA: “No one in the West.”
Ja: “Nah. I’m fine in the West.”
#NBATwitter pic.twitter.com/dh4e5lF1AE
— 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙞𝙣’ 𝙉𝘽𝘼 (@_Talkin_NBA) December 21, 2022
I have little doubt Morant believes this, but considering the Grizzlies haven’t made it past the second round since 2013, it’s still quite a statement to make in December. Memphis is no stranger to stirring things up and they certainly have proven Morant right in that they don’t back down after his famous “we run up the chimney” quote, but you can rest assured an early exit in the West playoffs this year will cause this clip to resurface.