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Ja Morant's Memphis Grizzlies have been a supernova this season as Memphis has shot to fourth place in the Western Conference. A win against the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night pushed Memphis' winning streak to a league-best 10 games.
It has been an impressive stretch for the Grizzlies (29-14), who won games against heavy hitters like the Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn Nets, LA Lakers and, of course, the Warriors.
The Grizzlies scored a surprise victory over the Warriors in the 2021 play-in tournament to clinch a spot in the playoffs, but they were eliminated in the first round by the Utah Jazz. The up-and-comers can continue their upward trend this season with a deeper playoff run.
Sports analyst Kevin Wildes is optimistic Morant can lead Memphis to the conference finals. On "First Things First," Wildes said:
"So, conventional wisdom, got to have a super team. Can't just have two stars, you need three stars to really compete, but there is an asterisk to that. What if you have the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, like Ja Morant?"
"We saw Trae Young take the Hawks to the Eastern Conference finals. He wasn't even the most electrifying man in sports entertainment."
Wildes dropped a list of the most electrifying men in sports, naming Morant as the worthy successor to Derrick Rose in his early days with the Chicago Bulls. He said that although Morant is far from being a frontrunner for the MVP award, his ability to deliver highlight reels often might help his case in the future.
"I think the idea that one guy can't do it, we've kinda like been clouded, when we've seen one guy at least go to the conference finals," Wildes said. "So, Ja can very well do it."
Given how disruptive the Grizzlies have been so far, they may pull off such a run. Nonetheless, it might be a bit ambitious seeing as it takes a lot more than skill to win a playoff series.
How has Ja Morant performed so far this season?
Ja Morant's performance has pushed him into consideration for the MVP award, and he is backing his claim of being one of the league's top five point guards. His first All-Star selection seems assured, with ESPN's Zach Lowe believing all that is left to decide is whether Morant should be a starter or not.
Watching Morant has been one of the high points of the season, as fans are starting to expect a play that will get them out of their seats. His block on the Lakers' Avery Bradley on Sunday will go down as one of the best, if not the best, blocks this season. He leapt and caught the ball at the rim with both hands.
Morant is the Grizzlies' top scorer, averaging 24.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game in 30 appearances.
