The anointed star for more than half a decade now, Morant has been paid and marketed as such accordingly. And when he is on the court, he invariably proves himself worthy.
The problem, though, continues to be taking the court. In his “comeback” season, Morant still managed to only appear in 50 regular season games in 2024-25, and has yet to surpass the 67 of his rookie season. He has averaged barely 51 games a season across his NBA career, and due to a hard foul by the Thunder’s Luguentz Dort in Game 3 of their first-round series, he missed the elimination Game 4, as well as the second half of Game 3.
In part, it is luck – Morant’s hip must have been extremely painful for him to not be able to go at the most crucial time of all. It is however the continuation of a pattern. One so young still should not have so lengthy of an injury history, and the manner in which he plays is not conducive to longevity.
On the flip side, despite their relative success over the past decade, the Grizzlies remain a small market team relative to the rest of the NBA, and it is never easy for smaller market teams to give up superstar talent like his. The Grizzlies also would run the risk of trading when his value is low, given Morant’s difficult past couple of seasons, and might alienate a local fanbase that greatly appreciates Morant, warts and all. Whatever direction the team decides to go in, though, they must commit to going in it 100 percent. Cake is not for both having and eating.
