The real importance of the All-Star Game for the Memphis Grizzlies
The game stinks. The representation, though...
It’s a surprisingly popular opinion in 2023 - one that I thought would meet with more disdain than approval.
I am not a fan of the lack of effort in the All-Star Game. Yes, I am aware that they’ve rarely given such extreme effort. No, I am not a grandpa (yet). But even when compared to previous meaningless exhibitions, in recent years (aside from the final frame) the game has become particularly, excessively, uninspired.
It’s like watching Peloton record a celebrity-riddled, basketball-specific workout for you to try to emulate.
“Now JUMP! Now run, run, now cut and JUMP! Look at that, just like Ja Morant, you got it, keep going! Get around those cones…I mean defenders…get to the rim!”
The world’s greatest athletes making superhuman feats seem easy while getting some light cardio in is getting, at least for this viewer, less enticing. But even with that cynical viewpoint fresh in my heart and mind, I tuned in and watched most of the Utah events of the weekend for the same reason you likely did.
Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. were there. And regardless of the intensity of the game, their presence was the real present for Grizzlies fans.
For the first time in Memphis Grizzlies history, two All-Stars were selected from the team. This, of course, happens as the team is in a familiar place in the Western Conference standings - 2nd, just as they ended last season. They are no longer a surprise story. It’d be a surprise if they weren’t near the top of the league.
This is in large part because of the two Grizzlies All-Stars. Jaren Jackson Jr.’s arrival at the All-Star Game (even before injury replacements!) was a pleasant surprise - NBA Head Coaches, who vote on the reserves, clearly appreciated Jaren’s defensive impacts. Ja Morant, earning his 2nd consecutive All-Star start after previously mentioned injury replacements filling in for Stephen Curry, remains one of the league’s best players and the favorite for heir apparent to the mantle of “face of the NBA”.
Re-read that previous paragraph.
Then, remind yourself these two are 23-years old and are under contract with the Memphis Grizzlies until at least 2026.
Smiling yet?
The team that once would complain about the lack of attention for their various successes cannot say that is the case any longer. Ja Morant has a Nike signature shoe and had a pop-up store in Salt Lake City for it, for crying out loud.
I love the Grit and Grind Grizzlies. No one is making a pop-up store out of ice for Marc Gasol…or a signature shoe for Zach Randolph.
This is simply different. And on one of the NBA’s biggest stages, this was clearer than ever before.
A mic’ed up Jaren Jackson Jr. at All-Star practice. Ja Morant being a topic of conversation just about every time the Dunk Contest was mentioned. Morant is being interviewed mid-game and is being picked by Giannis not once, but twice for his team. So what if Jaren and Ja did not have the most explosive outings in the game itself? Ja’s game isn’t really designed for the style of play of the All-Star Game, and Jaren’s defensive dominance is…less significant in a game like this.
It is the fact that Ja and Jaren were there, among the very best the NBA has to offer. LeBron James. Giannis Antetokounmpo. Nikola Jokic. Luka Doncic.
Go on and on and on. Even if the last name on that list is Jaren Jackson Jr. (it wouldn’t be for me), out of 450 NBA players only 24 were part of that game on Sunday night. And two of them were Memphis Grizzlies.
There will be time for 2nd half of the season prognostications (in this space those will come Wednesday). But for this day, reflect on the reality that was once just a dream. The Memphis Grizzlies have two of the very best players in the National Basketball Association - three if you count Desmond Bane, who hopefully is resting as you read this so he can get back to the offensive force he was to start the season.
Bane was playing at a level comparable to most that participated in Sunday’s game before his toe injury. If he gets back to that level? Usually teams with three All-Star type players last a while in the NBA Playoffs.
But again, I am getting ahead of myself. Ja and Jaren surely are going to take a couple days on a beach somewhere, clearing their minds after a whirlwind weekend among the NBA’s elites. You should do the same - OK, maybe not the beach. But clear your mind…
Except for the two 23-year-old All Stars on the Memphis Grizzlies thing. Hold on to that…just in case you need another smile to start your week off right.