One of the most important and anticipated questions heading into the 2022 playoffs was how Ja Morant would be defended in a seven-game series. His game (blistering, paint-reliant) and status as the lone All-Star on a team with young talent that—Desmond Bane aside—isn’t known for spacing the floor, created a mix of skepticism and wonder.
Through nine pick-and-shovel games, Morant has mostly vindicated himself against myriad coverages (he leads the playoffs in points and assists). And despite potentially missing what would be his 10th game of these playoffs on Monday night due to a sore knee, there’s still quite a bit to glean from how he’s performed in two different series against two contrasting philosophies. Regardless of where the series stands after Game 4, if/when Morant returns to the floor he’ll be at the center of Golden State’s gameplan. And how they choose to treat him vs. how he responds to that treatment may still very well decide who advances to the conference finals.
In Round 1, the Timberwolves’ defensive strategy was simple: Put Morant in a box. “With the aggressiveness that they're gonna play, they're going to try to prioritize taking away the paint,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins explained during the series. “Which they've come out and said.”
