Ja Morant has already missed nearly a quarter of his team’s games this season, but he’s not letting injury concerns affect his attacking mentality.
The Memphis Grizzlies star rookie said this week that he will not be changing his aggressive style of play despite its potential impact on his health.
“I’ve been playing like this all my life,” said Morant, per Omari Sankofa II of The Athletic. “It got me here and I’m going to continue playing like that. I’m willing to lay my body on the line for my team.”
The 20-year-old has produced his fair share of highlight dunks and high-flying acrobatics this season en route to team highs of 18.8 points and 6.5 assists per game. But Morant has already been load managed twice and missed several games earlier this month due to back spasms from a scary in-game fall.
We have seen many similarly-sized young guards with such reckless styles in the past to varied results (Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, etc.). Morant might be the most talented player in this year’s draft class, but the Grizzlies obviously want his long-term health to be a priority.
