By: Stephen Garner

Ja Morant 

Ja Morant is unbelievable. He’s been one of the best guards in the league this season, and has pulled his Grizzlies out of an early season funk to return to above .500.

Last night’s win saw some very special (and historic) play from him & company on their home floor.

He's the ONLY guard in the top-14 for PITP & is a near FULL point better than 2nd, who's Giannis at 14.7.

He's also 3rd in drives per game (20.5), 1st in drive points (12.9), & in the 95th percentile for attempts (112) at the rim, while converting on 74 of those

— Stephen PridGeon ☯️🏁 (@StayTrueSDot3) November 19, 2021

His heart-charging style of play is part of why he is as exuberant a talent the league has to offer. He plays the game with the right energy and is willing to do whatever to win with a throwback style of passion for his craft.

He’s still “finding his way” in terms of adding to his game from shooting and defensively, but what he’s good at, he’s DOMINANT at.

Even while still fine-tuning, he’s seen astronomical leaps in effectiveness as a shooter.

These improvements are the type that, in your third season with many reps versus and tape against you in terms of film, he’s able to exploit holes in coverage against him. Teams have sagged off early and he’s made them pay.

Now, teams have seen his improvement and have become slightly more reluctant to concede jump shots to him.

That slight extra step in defenders closing space, or not being sure how close to get to him, is enough for him to exploit over and over. Making for his driving lanes to include less traffic than they typically would.

Floor spacing and growth from the Grizzlies roster allowed Morant more adequate room to roam as well, as the team grows along with his ascension.

Gone Streaking 1️⃣0️⃣

Over the last two and a half weeks, the Phoenix Suns haven’t lost a game. 

They’ve now compiled 10 straight wins, their longest win streak in a decade, and have won games in this stretch in a variety of ways.

Paul was at 5.9 per 4th (50.4/41.2/,88.6) while Booker was at 4.8 per (40.1/32.9/82.4) in 2020-21.

Continuity has rewarded PHX the ability to win regardless of context (pretty, ugly, or in-between), as @Jumpshot8 has often elocuted, giving them a chance to win every night out

— Stephen PridGeon ☯️🏁 (@StayTrueSDot3) November 18, 2021

They’ve seen 4th quarter dominance in contentious games from CP3 & Devin Booker…

Tandem closing ability, maybe the leagues best, especially from the midrange, is the dynamic that makes the Midrange Marauders unique.

Paul (19) & Booker (9), would combine for 28 of PHXs 33 4th quarter points vs MIN on Monday.

via @nbastats pic.twitter.com/TuLlWE8L7I

— Stephen PridGeon ☯️🏁 (@StayTrueSDot3) November 18, 2021

Won games by wide margins, and amassed comeback wins as well.

They’ve also done so with key rotation pieces missing multiple games throughout, being Payne, Shamet, and Ayton.

They’ve allowed less than 100 points in each of the last four games, and are simply clicking on all cylinders.

Last season’s Western Conference representative in the Finals, they know they won’t catch anyone “by surprise” this season or living forward, but they’ve taken advantage of their continuity and reset after a slow start.

They’re trending toward better than last year’s rendition, as this start is much better than their near-middling start from 2020-2021 of 8-6 through the first 11 games.

To the Max(ey) 📶

In the absence and attention of the Ben Simmons Chronicles has risen an opportunity for Tyrese Maxey.

In theory, he’s the only beneficiary in the Sixers organization with Simmons absence, and has taken full advantage.

On the season, with even a drop in usage from last season, he’s at 17.8 PPG, 4.4 APG, 3.4 RPG with a 52.3/43.4/84.1/ shooting split, and a healthy eFG% of 57.7.

One of the biggest differences for him this season has been the time he’s spent on the court per position. Last season, he spent just 42% of home minutes at the point, with 47% spent at the two, then 11% spent at the three.

This season, he’s spent every minute of on-court time at the point, and Philadelphia is a +2.6 with him on the floor this season. That’s a +4.7 jump in +/- for him from his negative registering of last season.

He’s nearly equaled his 13 and-1 total of last season with 8, indicating his aggression and success with it.

He’s in the 80th percentile amongst guards in finishing at the rim, converting on 68% of his rack attacks, his best trait coming out of the draft.

Showing more growth, he’s seen a double-digit uptick in accuracy from deep. +15% as he’s now at 44%. He’s also at 42% in above the break attempts, and is at 56% from the corners.

There’s a whole lot of green for him here, especially from deep in all but one of the five zones in this chart. The misses from there are more or less a byproduct of Philadelphia’s offense and the lack of frequency he spends at the top of the key when looking to score.

He’s enjoyed great success and has taken the league by storm with sustained successes. 

Notice his numbers over the last five games 👀

25 PPG on a 57/52/87 shooting split is all-star tier production. 

The 2020 21st pick is proving to be the biggest bright spot in the Sixers organization, and deserves to shine regardless of the drama that’s sure to ensue.

Wizards

Washington has been without the likes of two of their future pieces in Hachimura and Bryant for all games thus far.

They’ve seen great play and efforts from each of the players they’ve received from the Russell Westbrook trade: those players combine for 40.6 points per game on average.

Well past their offensive production, they’ve injected this roster with versatility especially on the defensive end. Hence the uptick in defensive effectiveness from the Wizards, which is the main reason they’ve been so successful this season.

They have the 4th best defense in the league, allowing 104.4 PPG. Teams shoot an overall 48.6% versus them, good for the best in the league. They close possessions defensively extremely well, 8th best there.

Then they don’t just guard the 3-point line well, but absolutely take away the shot from opponents. They’re the best in percentage of teams shots coming from there, and 4th best at taking away corner 3’s. 

Even more, when teams do get shots off from deep versus them, they shoot just 31.7% from 3, which is the 3rd best defensive mark.

Even their transition defense is top five, allowing just 1.7 points per 100 possessions.

In the halfcourt, they have the 12th best defense allowing 91.1 points per 100 plays.

In general they stick to their principles and are cohesive, moving on a string and communicating all with clear intent.

I’ll have plenty more words on them moving forward, but as of now they sit in a great spot, with plenty improvements to come internally as their full rotation could be back by the new year, just past the quarter mark of the season.

Series-style Scheduling

The NBA announced these series-style “experiments” in dynamic that’d be added to the schedule in it’s 75th rendition.

In theory, they sound like a solid addition to the marathon of a season that’s already 82 games.

As it stands, I feel like they give a playoff-style dynamic especially when the teams are of the playoff tier in effectiveness.

As the season continues, I’ll gauge it more but as it stands, this is a dynamic that I like. It’s a fresh change of pace.

Games to watch this weekend:

Friday: Bulls @ Nuggets, 8pm CST NBALP

Saturday: Heat @ Wizards, 6pm CST NBALP

Sunday: Nuggets @ Suns, 7pm CST NBALP

That’s a wrap for this week’s Friday Five’s. I’ll be back next week with plenty more to speak on as we’re now a month into the season.