Kevin Durant trade made Ja Morant backtrack on comments about the West

Ja Morant has been nothing but confident about the Grizzlies this season. The Kevin Durant trade has him sounding only slightly less confident.

Ja Morant once said that he was “fine in the west” when it comes to his Memphis Grizzlies and the NBA Playoffs.

Now that Kevin Durant has arrived in the Western Conference, does the audaciously exciting Morant still feel the same?

This past weekend, as part of the NBA All-Star festivities, Morant was asked about how the conference in which his Grizzlies are currently the No. 2 seed looks in terms of being “wide open”. Ja’s answer, while not a direct walk-back, was notably less direct.

While Morant saying that “I’m just focused on us and what we gotta do to remain a top team and make the playoffs…” is far less fun than him claiming that the Memphis Grizzlies are the team to beat in the Western Conference, it is likely the correct play at this point in time. Not because Morant should be less of a believer in his squad — that would fly in the face of the confidence that has gotten the Grizzlies to this point in the first place.

It makes sense because … it is the right thing to say.

Kevin Durant is joining the Suns but Ja Morant is saying all the right things

The Western Conference is a gauntlet, the prime example of the parity that the NBA and other professional sports leagues strive for. The Denver Nuggets entering the post-All-Star slate are the prohibitive favorites to be the No. 1 seed entering the postseason, five games in front of Memphis. The Grizzlies are then three games in front of the Sacramento Kings for the No. 2 seed.

Beyond that? Only three games separate the No. 3-seeded Kings and the currently tied No. 8-seeded New Orleans Pelicans and Minnesota Timberwolves. In fact, only 4.5 games is the difference between the Kings and the No. 11 seed Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers, also tied at the All-Star Break for that spot.

Got all that? It’s a lot to take in. And while the Memphis Grizzlies are currently above the fray, all it would take is another losing skid like the Grizzlies faced earlier in the season (losing eight of nine total games before winning three of their last four before the break) to fall back to the pack. Outside of the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets, and perhaps the Utah Jazz (who made rebuilding trades at and around the Trade Deadline) everyone in the West is actively trying to win.

No rest for the weary. But thankfully Steven Adams, the big man for Memphis who makes so much click for the team in terms of rebounding and screen setting, should be returning soon. And the arrival of Luke Kennard should help with much-needed 3-point shooting to create space for Morant and company to operate.

Most importantly, as long as Morant, fellow All-Star (and likely Defensive Player of the Year) Jaren Jackson Jr., and Desmond Bane are healthy, the Memphis Grizzlies should be able to stick around the top of the conference — even with Kevin Durant’s arrival. The Grizzlies were the No. 2 seed last season with that core three in place, and much of the important role players return (with Kennard replacing De’Anthony Melton and Santi Aldama replacing Kyle Anderson). With a three-game lead with 25 games to go and one of the NBA’s easiest remaining schedules according to Tankathon, assuming health it is unlikely the Grizzlies fall too far.

Will Memphis be “alright in the west” come the NBA Playoffs? Time will tell. But for now, as long as Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies stay healthy and focused on their brand of basketball, they’re fine at the top of the standings — even with the specter of Kevin Durant looming over the Western Conference.

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