It has been a season of ups and downs for superstar Ja Morant. The Memphis Grizzlies star missed out on a few games due to suspension and injuries. Morant’s high-flying style tends to cause concern whenever his landing is not proper. In game-1 against the Los Angeles Lakers, he injured his hand after a scary fall and a poor landing and missed out on game-2. Again in game-4, Ja had a hard fall while driving on superstar LeBron James.
While the Grizzlies made a statement winning game-2 without Morant, they have then succumbed in the next two games even with their star player. Despite their fight throughout the regulation of game-4, the Lakers pulled away in OT.
Ja Morant falls hard over LeBron James
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Ja Morant started the season off great but off-court controversies did not help him or the team. Despite his injury layoffs and suspension, the Memphis Grizzlies finished the season as the second seed in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies did surprisingly well during his absence last season as well. However, Morant does make the team tick differently and is unstoppable at times. But it looks like it will be another disappointing season after losing game-4 117-111 in OT. The Grizzlies have now gone down 3-1 in the series and face elimination.
THIS PLAY 😳 pic.twitter.com/OnQiq6p0lm
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 25, 2023
Amidst this, Grizzlies fans’ hearts missed a beat when Morant went down hard after a drive in the late fourth quarter. In a fastbreak situation, Morant flew down the court with the ball which was met under the rim by LeBron James. The four-time NBA champion stood firm to take charge. The point guard hit James and was off balance and hit the deck hard.
Morant was given an offensive foul for his attempt. However, it was not the call that worried fans.
Fans express their concern?
After witnessing a similar fall in game-1 and subsequent injury, fans were worried for Ja Morant and his health. Fortunately, it did not look like Ja was injured and he continued playing. The video clip of the hard fall went viral and fans flooded the comment section and expressed their concern. Here are some reactions:
Ja is gonna end his career if he doesn’t start thinking before he tries to geta highlight dunk
— noQap (@anonymousqueue_) April 25, 2023
Again, said it before – this kid has been in the league long enough to not be doing shit like this. He has to learn to control his style of play and polish that up.
— J.R. 🇵🇷 (@JRodriguez81) April 25, 2023
Ja is one jumping drive to the bucket away from the second half of Derrick Rose’s post ACL surgery career. Right now he’s incredible though (just like Rose was) #nba
— Zombieman (@Antman626v2) April 25, 2023
A lot of fans were worried Ja could be seriously injured with his style of play. Some commented that he needs a wide array of finishing moves and should not always rely on layups or dunks.
They need to make the restricted zone bigger. Those charge plays so close of the rim are dangerous.
— Killboard (@Killboard1) April 25, 2023
The Charging rule definitely needs to be discussed during off season
— The Hip-Hop Stan (@TResponsibilty) April 25, 2023
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They need to get the last second attempt to take a charge out of the game. Use common sense, it’s just a bucket.
— yolojones123 (UTSA Roadrunners 9-4) (@yolojones123) April 25, 2023
On the other hand, many criticized LeBron James for trying to take charge. Some fans commented the four-time NBA MVP moved while taking charge. Also, many suggested that the charging rule has to be revisited. Fans had a similar argument when Morant was injured in game-1 as well.
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WATCH THIS STORY – ?Lakers Looking For Excuses?: Ja Morant Fans Gasp a Sigh of Relief as Major Update Could Leave LeBron James? Team Trembling
Do you think there should be changes made to the offensive foul rule to avoid serious injuries to superstars? Let us know in the comments.