NBA insider on Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, JJJ: ‘They’re as good as a trio as there is in the league’

The Memphis Grizzlies failed to make the playoffs in the 2023-24 season due to several injuries and guard Ja Morant’s suspension at the beginning of the season. But ESPN’s Tim Bontemps is buying their core ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

“I’m buying Memphis,” said Bontemps. “Obviously, we’ll see if Ja Morant can keep himself on the court. But if he can, I expect him to have a big year. He, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. are awfully, awfully good together. We haven’t seen them together in a minute, but when they are together, they’re as good as a trio as there is in the league.”

That’s some major praise for the Grizzlies’ three best players, and they’ve shown in the past that they can be a top team in the Western Conference. Memphis won 56 games in the 2021-22 season before winning 51 in the 2022-23 campaign under head coach Taylor Jenkins.

Last season, Morant was limited to just nine games due to his suspension and eventually a shoulder injury, and Bane played in just 42 of the 82 games in the 2023-24 campaign.

The Grizzlies also lost guard Marcus Smart for the majority of the 2023-24 season, as he appeared in just 20 games after being acquired in a trade prior to the start of last season.

While there’s no guarantee that Memphis will be healthy for the entire 2024-25 season, it could make a major leap in the West if it is.

Morant, a two-time All-Star, is likely the best player in the Grizzlies’ star trio, and Memphis has made the playoffs three times since he was drafted No. 2 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft.

There are lot of teams with great trios in the NBA, including the Philadelphia 76ers (Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey), Denver Nuggets (Nikola Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray), Boston Celtics (Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and any combination of Jrue Holiday, Derrick White or Kristaps Porzingis), Phoenix Suns (Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal), among several others.

Clearly, Bontemps is high on Memphis to put Morant, Bane and Jackson in this class ahead of the 2024-25 season.

“I like the direction overall from a talent perspective,” Bontemps said. “Getting G.G. Jackson and Vince Williams as a couple guys on the wing who can play minutes for them is big. And yeah, like you said [Tim] MacMahon, there’s been a lot of talk about the playoff picture in the West, and for all these teams that are good, I think Memphis is clearly a top-six team if their guys are available and on the court.”

The Grizzlies also added big man Zach Edey in the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft, and it’s possible he could be an impact player at the NBA level. If that pick pans out, the Grizzlies should be back in the mix for a playoff spot in the 2024-25 season.