For a guy from a small town in South Carolina, Ja Morant sure feels comfortable in the spotlight. He was in his element entertaining the New York media horde following the Memphis Grizzlies' Feb. 2 win inside Madison Square Garden.
"Mic check, mic check -- yo, yo, yo," Morant said, playfully cupping the microphone, as he settled into his seat next to fellow 22-year-old franchise cornerstone Jaren Jackson Jr. "It's the Unicorn, man, and the Ninja in here checking in.
"Y'all ready?"
Ready or not, the Grizzlies are here, having pushed their way into the contender conversation at least a couple of years earlier than many anticipated when Memphis' "Grit 'n Grind" chapter closed in 2019 and a rebuilding project began.