5 Crucial Questions on Ja Morant's Fit with the Blazers

Ja Morant is coming to the Portland Trail Blazers in a trade after spending his first seven seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant passes the ball as Atlanta Hawks center Christian Koloko defends. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Portland Trail Blazers are bringing Ja Morant on board after acquiring him in a trade for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray.

To learn more about Morant, we spoke with Memphis Grizzlies On SI contributor Landon Speck.

What led to Ja Morant's exit from the Grizzlies?

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant watches from the bench. | Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images

A mixture of multiple things led to a not-so-clean breakup between Morant and Memphis. Most notably, he could not stay healthy.

He has played 79 games total in the past three seasons due to injury and a suspension in 2023-24. Morant also missed time in both the 2022 and 2023 playoff runs. Outside of the injuries, the three-point shot never developed as anyone had hoped. Morant shot 23.5 percent from three in 2025-26. It is extremely difficult to build around a 6-2 guard that is not an outside shooting threat.

What is Morant's biggest strength?

When he is right, Morant is one of the best paint scorers in the NBA. He is up there with Giannis Antetokounmpo when it comes to scoring at the rim, with the ability to blow by any defender and finish. His creativity as a rim-finisher is among the best in the league with a mixture of dunks, acrobatic layups, and floaters.

What is Morant's biggest weakness?

Three-point shooting, as mentioned earlier, has been a detriment to Morant. He shot 34.4 percent from the outside in 2021-22, which is still his best NBA season. The 23.5 percent in 2025-26 is certainly not indicitive of his actual skill as a three-point shooter, but Morant when healthy hovers at around 30 percent.

What is one thing people should know about Morant that cannot be found in a box score?

He is one of the most clutch players in the league. When Memphis needed a bucket to either ice or win a game at the end, the team would simply “call 12”. There are not many guys I would rather have a game-winning shot attempt for my team than Morant. Even when he was going through injuries during the last three seasons in Memphis, Morant delivered multiple game-winners.

How do you think Morant will perform with the new change of scenery?

The change of scenery should do him nothing but good. Morant embraced Memphis from the beginning, as the city did him, so he is familiar with playing in a small market. From a basketball perspective, it is all about health. If Morant can be on the floor, he can easily be a 20-point, 8-9 assist per game point guard.

The bigger question is can he get back to the level of athleticism he had from 2021-23. The highlight dunks and finishes that elevated Morant to stardom have not been there nearly as much the past three seasons.