Sunday Best: Saw so much love for Ja Morant ...
That you would have thought London was Memphis
LONDON — Was Ja Morant only playing Sunday because the NBA insisted on it?
Was Morant only playing because his Nike sneaker sponsors demanded it
Was it a step too far to surmise that Morant's return to work on the international stage of The O2 in South East London — in the midst of Memphis' front office inviting trade offers for him — might somehow wind up as No. 12's last game for the Memphis Grizzlies?
These all seemed to be pretty reasonable questions to raise leading up to the tipoff of Memphis' second game in four days in Europe against the Orlando Magic.
Now?
It all seems a bit more complicated.
Playing for the first time since Jan. 2, Morant was back to his jarringly electric best in a runaway 126-109 triumph for the Grizzlies. Morant came out zipping passes and looking to score. He splashed his first three 3s after a nightmare season of 20-ish% shooting from long distance. There would be a bowling celebration and dancing, too. From the very first minute, Morant was the best player on the floor.
Which means now we have even more to unpack than anticipated in this worldly edition of the Sunday Best around-the-league NBA notes that will have more of a game story feel than usual.
Let's get to it all …