Ja Morant Is On An All-Time Great Shortlist of Players With A 40 Point Game In Each of Their First Three Postseasons
· Yahoo Sports
When Ja Morant was still ascending, he recorded a 40-point game in a postseason three years in a row.
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If he can stay healthy and on the court, he will be able to answer the call whenever the moment requires it. He was sharing a backcourt with Desmond Bane at the time; now playing alongside Damian Lillard, he has another deep marksman, but one with a much heftier playoff resume. If nothing else, his success collaborating with Bane shows what kind of driving lanes Morant can get when playing with a guard who can stretch the floor.
The first 40-piece of the three was when Morant led an ahead-of-schedule Memphis team through the play-in and into the first round of the 2021 playoffs. He lit up the Jazz for a cool 47 points in game 2 on an array of drives. He was 15-26 from the field and added 7 assists.
In 2022, after knocking off the Timberwolves in a heated first-round matchup. It was then time to take on the would-be champion Golden State Warriors led by the Splash Brothers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, alongside a developing Jordan Poole. After dropping Game 1 at home, the Grizzlies leaned on Morant to even the series 1-1. He dropped a 47-point gem along with 8 rebounds and 8 assists.
His third and final 40-point playoff game was in round one versus the Conference Finals-bound Lakers in 2023. The Grizzlies had homecourt advantage but were quickly brushed aside by a LeBron James-Anthony Davis tandem. But not before Morant found his old form in game three. He nearly dropped a 45-point triple-double as he tallied 13 assists and 9 rebounds. That feels like the last time the Morant-led Grizzlies were truly relevant. But then again, it wasn't that long ago.
As far as players who have a 40-point game in each of their first three postseason runs. It's a short list, and there's only one other active player on it. Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Luka Doncic, and Ja Morant. Of court issues aside, when Morant is on the court, going baseline to baseline, there are few scarier sights in transition. Healthy and remotivated, not only is it a chance for Ja Morant to shine, but it might be the last chance as well, given previous troubles.
Still one of the best paint-scoring guards in the league with one of the most lethal floaters, the theme for 2027 for Morant could be redemption.