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Grizzlies lose in Ja Morant's unimpressive return
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) checks into the game during the second quarter against the Detroit Pistons at FedExForum. Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Grizzlies lose in Ja Morant's unimpressive return

Ja Morant returned from his one-game suspension but his shooting woes continued Monday. He had plenty of company with his teammates in that area.

The Memphis Grizzlies shot 40.2% from the field in a 114-106 loss to the Detroit Pistons, with Morant going 5-for-16 (31.3%) from the field and missing all four of his three-point shots. It's the fifth time in seven games that Morant hasn't made a three, and he's now shooting 5-for-36 on the season.

Ja Morant isn't making shots, nor are his teammates

Morant is a 13.9% three-point shooter and a 39.3% shooter overall. The Grizzlies are shooting only 44.6% as a team, a bottom-10 mark, so it isn't just the team's ostensible superstar.

Jaylen Wells, Morant's backcourt mate, shot 2-for-14 on Monday. He's shooting 31.8% on the season. Offseason acquisition Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, nominally a three-and-D wing, is at 31.4% on threes and 32.4% overall.

The lone bright spot is rookie Cedric Coward, who scored 17 points against the Pistons and is shooting 58.3% overall and 48.3% on three-pointers.

Ja Morant hasn't stepped up with the Grizzlies shorthanded

The Grizzlies are missing some rotation players to start the season. Scotty Pippen, Jr. won't be back until January at the earliest. Free-agent signing Ty Jerome won't play his first game for the Grizzlies for at least two more weeks. But this is exactly when a team needs to learn on their superstar, and Morant simply hasn't delivered on either end.

Fellow All-Star Cade Cunningham decisively outplayed Morant, shooting 12-for-20 and putting up 33 points and eight assists. He scored nine points in the final three minutes. Many of Cunningham's 19 fourth-quarter points came at the expense of Morant on defense.

Cunningham looks like the kind of player NBA teams can build their franchise around. Increasingly, Morant is looking like a player an NBA team can't rely on.

Sean Keane

Sean Keane is a sportswriter and a comedian based in Oakland, California, with experience covering the NBA, MLB, NFL and Ice Cube’s three-on-three basketball league, The Big 3. He’s written for Comedy Central’s “Another Period,” ESPN the Magazine, and Audible. com

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