The rumor is that Ja Morant isn’t very happy with the Memphis Grizzlies at the moment. Or maybe the Memphis Grizzlies aren’t very happy with him. In any case, the Houston Rockets’ lack of a starting point guard has drawn some to make a connection. In Wednesday night’s game between the two teams, the Rockets strongly refuted it.
The Houston Rockets Really Don’t Want Ja Morant
Lately, the Houston Rockets have been starting a backcourt of six-foot-four wing Josh Okogie and six-foot-seven… basketball player Amen Thompson. Last season’s starting point guard, Fred VanVleet, is expected to miss the whole of 2025-26 with injury. Some thought second-year combo guard Reed Sheppard might earn a starting nod. So far, his starts have been limited to the preseason.
The trouble for Sheppard is that his offensive impact isn’t enough to counteract his defensive limitations. His shooting has been commendable to start the year, at 42.9%. His ability to run an NBA offense remains distinctly unproven. Enter Morant, a former All-NBA and currently disgruntled point guard.
But the Rockets showed just how little interest they had in Morant in their Wednesday night matchup with the Grizzlies. The Rockets seemed to make a point of going under every screen and inviting him to take every jumper. The Rockets weren’t even interested in guarding him, let alone adding him to their team. Morant retaliated by going 6-19 from the field with 6 turnovers. The Rockets won the game by 15 points, even with the normally uber-efficient Kevin Durant shooting an unorthodox 5-18 himself.
Should Rockets “Buy Low” on Morant?
Now, it’s worth noting that Morant probably isn’t giving the Grizzlies his all right now. He’s deeply dissatisfied with the team. So far in 2025-26, he’s averaging 20 points on a grizzly 38.3% from the field.
However, just a few seasons ago, the Grizzlies were looking to build a win-now contender around him. Injuries and league-mandated suspensions derailed their momentum. Then, this offseason, they made the very much “win later” move of trading Desmond Bane for draft capital (though getting five firsts for Bane is hard to criticise). The Grizzlies are 3-6 and are struggling for plenty of reasons. Morant, at his best, though, was an All-NBA superstar – 27.2 points and 6.7 assists per game.
But his best was also predicated on his unearthly athletic gifts, soaring through the air at breakneck speeds to make spectacular plays at both ends of the court. In small guards, those are the kinds of gifts that both make injuries more likely to occur and more devastating when they do. Meanwhile, Morant’s shooting remains largely unimproved in his seventh year. His partnership with the Rockets’ similarly gifted and flawed Thompson would certainly be entertaining in transition, but it would be aemenic in the half-court.
The Rockets set themselves up as something of a grit-and-grind successor to the Grizzlies when they first hired head coach Ime Udoka and signed former Grizzly Dillon Brooks. As far as completing the process and acquiring Morant himself, however, Udoka made his feelings clear on Wednesday night. That is, unless Udoka wants to pull a “LeGM.”
Rockets fans will recall with glee how LeBron James inexplicably petitioned for adding Russell Westbrook to his Los Angeles Lakers squad. He did it despite beating the Houston Rockets in the 2020 playoffs with the strategy of ignoring (then-Rocket) Westbrook entirely. That certainly didn’t turn out very well for the Lakers. Chances are, Udoka doesn’t fancy making the same mistake.
The Last Word
Acquiring Morant would be no simple feat for the Rockets anyway. Most Rockets fans are probably relieved by as much. Houston has already begun establishing itself as a powerhouse this season and has a good foundation for the future. Even “buying low” on Morant would come with significant risks. Udoka has made his case to the front office. If they really want to give him a new point guard, they’re going to want to look elsewhere.
© Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
The post The Houston Rockets Really Don’t Want Ja Morant appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.