As early as his rookie year, Ja Morant had already proven to everyone that he possessed the skills and abilities to be an NBA superstar.
However, injuries, controversies and his dwindling production have hindered his rise as one of the league's most promising young talents, casting uncertainty over his future with the Memphis Grizzlies .
Having seen Morant's downward trajectory, ESPN's Tim Bontemps got into a spirited debate with Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon on "The Hoop Collective" about Morant's standing in the league. Although the two defended the star point guard, Bontemps held his ground, asserting that Morant is no longer a star, at least for now.
"It's that he's not talented, but again, four or five years ago, you were looking at him as one of the future faces of the league and one of the future faces at that position," Bontemps said . "Now, he's a borderline top 10 point guard with all this other stuff going with him."
So far, Morant's best year has been the 2021-2022 NBA season, during which he became an All-Star, was named to the All-NBA Second Team and won the Most Improved Player of the Year award.
In that year, he posted career-best averages of 27.4 points, 6.7 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals. He also led the Grizzlies to their first playoff victory since the 2014-2015 season.
That season proved that Morant raised the floor for Memphis whenever he played. Unfortunately, since then, his numbers have dropped year by year.
Last season, he averaged 23.2 points while shooting 30.9 percent from deep, 7.3 assists, and 4.1 rebounds in 30.4 minutes of playing time across 50 games. For Bontemps, these are not the characteristics of a top-10 talent in the NBA.
"I would absolutely not say he's one of the most talented players in the league at this point," he said . " Ja Morant is a point guard who doesn't really play defense and can't really shoot. And he's not nearly as athletic as he was a couple years ago."
This year, the Western Conference has become more competitive. Already contending teams bolstered their rosters during the offseason, such as Denver and Houston , while other squads, including Oklahoma, Golden State and Minnesota , are playing with the same core but with a different mindset.
For Bontemps, a core composed of Morant and All-Star center Jaren Jackson, Jr . will not cut it for the Grizzlies if they want to survive the West.
Having yielded little playoff success with their current roster, the Grizzlies, Tim suggests, should trade Morant and Jackson and build around their young players, such as Cedrick Coward, Jaylen Wells , and Zach Edey , as well as future draft picks.
"Where are the Grizzlies going with Ja Morant? Why is it worth dealing with this over and over and over again?" Bontemps asked. "Look at the Western Conference. They're nowhere near those teams right now. Is there a window where they're good enough to really be competitive in the next three years? I don't know. It's hard to see it."
People are already seeing Morant, who is 26 years old, as a shell of his former athletic and electrifying self. Bontemps is one of them and unless Morant turns things around and matures both on and off the court, he sees no value in Memphis keeping the young star around.
Nevertheless, Ja still has a long season ahead to prove Bontemps and his doubters wrong and regain his superstar form, hoping it will lead the Grizzlies to a deeper playoff run this year.
Related: Ja Morant admits he lost his joy playing for Grizzlies: "We'll see"
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 4, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
