INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – JANUARY 14: Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies dunks the ball over Jalen Smith #25 of the Indiana Pacers in the third quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on January 14, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
Ja Morant may have hammered home the Dunk of the Year over Pacers big Jalen Smith and it only gets better with every angle you see it from.
There are times when Ja Morant misses dunks that are more impressive and jaw-dropping than the best dunks of some players’ careers. On Saturday night, though, the Memphis Grizzlies star didn’t miss and it nearly caused an earthquake with how thunderous of a jam it was.
Facing off against the Indiana Pacers in the weekend clash, Morant had the ball on the left wing when he got a little space and burst through it into the lane. Indiana big man Jalen Smith tried to step up in help to contest but he was a bit late.
And now he probably wishes he’d just stayed out of it after getting baptized in the gospel of Ja.
Ja Morant Dunk of the Year of Jalen Smith from every angle
The play itself from the broadcast is absurd. Morant literally looks inhuman with the way he can rise and soar after he takes off. But it’s even more of an incredible jam and Dunk of the Year candidate when you see the angles from courtside and behind the backboard.
Let’s go ahead and say what we’re all thinking: Get Ja Morant in the Dunk Contest by any means necessary.
That wasn’t the only plus for Morant’s night, though. He finished the night with 23 points and 10 assists in only 25 minutes as his monster dunk set the tone for a 130-112 blowout in favor of the Grizzlies.
But of those 23, make no mistake, no two were more emphatic than the jam over Smith.