"Says who?" - Nike's ad with Ja Morant asks a prominent question about his NBA title chances, but how has the Memphis Grizzlies star fared so far this season?

Ja Morant’s game in the NBA this season can be described as both audacious and mesmerizing. After his All-Star snub last season, the No.2 overall pick in the 2019 draft started the season with dangerous intentions. He averaged 30.4 points, 7.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds in his first five highlight-filled games.

Nike Basketball has recognized the Mount Rushmore-sized chip on Ja Morant’s shoulder in the ad “Says Who,” which perfectly captures his desire to defy the odds. Here, the intent to make the Memphis Grizzlies a championship team is unmistakable.

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Ja Morant is averaging career-highs in different statistical categories for the Memphis Grizzlies this season. He leads the team in scoring, assists and steals, among others. His 24.1 PPG is 5 points better than last campaign’s average, which underlines how much he has improved this season.

Perhaps the most amazing fact this campaign is that the third-year guard leads the NBA in interior points despite his frame and the position he plays in. His ability to get into the teeth of the defense and generate open looks for his teammates is a crucial part of the Grizzlies' offense.

The Memphis Grizzlies, however, were 9-10 before the 22-year-old starting point guard went down with a leg injury against the Atlanta Hawks. With back-to-back wins in their last two games, they are now just one game above .500, placing them fifth in the Western Conference standings. With the way they are playing, the Grizzlies will be hard-pressed to even make the play-in.

As awe-inspiring, if not as romantic, as the slogan is, can this version of the Grizzlies bring Memphis its first-ever NBA title behind Ja Morant’s sizzling form?

Ja Morant can’t do it alone

Someone has to step up big time from the Memphis Grizzlies to support Ja Morant [Photo: NBA.com]

Ja Morant needs help. Every championship team in the last 30 years, with the probable exception of the 2011 Dallas Mavericks, had a great 1-2 punch. The Memphis Grizzlies do not boast the same kind of superstar combo that will cause headaches in the opposing team’s defensive schemes.

Dillon Brooks, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. have not consistently stepped up to the plate to become solid secondary options after Ja Morant. The Utah Jazz, in last season’s playoffs, clearly recognized this. They forced the other Grizzlies players to beat them repeatedly. Memphis couldn’t, which was why they almost got swept by Utah in that series.

Morant certainly needs more of this:

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If Ja Morant leads the Memphis Grizzlies to the playoffs again this season, there has to be consistent production from at least one of his teammates. Without that, there’s no way they can get past the star-studded teams of the West. The Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz will be almost impossible to beat in a seven-game series with the way they are constructed.

With Morant out injured, some or a few of them may just regularly do this:

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The level of talent after Ja Morant is a steep drop. The same can’t be said of the aforementioned teams, the healthy Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets. The Dallas Mavericks, with Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, are deadly as well.

The defense has to dramatically improve

The Memphis Grizzlies have been miserable on defense this season [Photo: Deseret News]

The Memphis Grizzlies are currently the worst team in the NBA based on defensive rating. Ja Morant will have to lead his team to turn around their defensive performance if he wants to make that Nike ad a reality. If they can play respectable defense to pair up with their near top-ten offense, then they could have a chance.

What’s very confusing is the Grizzlies’ excessive drop in their defensive play. They were ranked sixth last season and third in steals. Their defense was one of the biggest reasons why they made the playoffs.

This has been far and few in between:

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Almost every NBA championship team in the last 20 years had a top ten offensive or defensive rating with few notable exceptions. The 2001 Lakers ranked second in offense but were a paltry 21st on defense. That team, though, had prime Shaq and Kobe Bryant, which was enough to bag the second of three straight championships.

The 2004 Pistons had a miserable 18th-ranked offense but were second on defense. They were famous for bludgeoning the heavily-favored Shaq and Kobe Lakers due to their unforgiving defense.

The 2020 Lakers were 11th on offense but third on defense. They had LeBron James and Anthony Davis compensating for any deficiencies.

Ja Morant and the current Memphis Grizzlies are not even in the same conversation as the aforementioned teams. If they want to answer back with “Says Who,” they better make sure to drastically play better on defense. They’ve done it before; there should be no excuse for why they could not do it again.