Ja Morant said he would cut back on dunking. Then he threw down one of his best at TD Garden.
Morant's high-flying double-clutch reverse dunk against the Celtics was a must-see moment.
Ja Morant’s ability to take off for highlight-real dunks is part of what made him a star in the NBA.
He has a lightning-quick first step, impressive bounce, and a level of fearlessness attacking the rim that comes together in the form of highlight reel plays.
It has also made the 6-foot-2, 174-pound guard more vulnerable to injuries during his career, he said earlier this week.
“I’m not trying to dunk at all,” Morant said Wednesday night, according to ESPN. “Y’all think I’m lying. I’m dead serious.”
But, on Saturday night against the Celtics, Morant pulled off a spectacular double-clutch reverse dunk at TD Garden that has drawn comparisons to the one Vince Carter threw down against the Pacers back in 1999.
Like Carter, Morant managed to do it within the flow of the game. The Grizzlies were in their half-court offense. They swung it to Morant in the corner. 7-foot-2 center Kristaps Porzingis stood in the paint and came over to help. Morant was still able to adjust his body in the air and finish the play.
Morant had just three dunks in his first 12 games this season, according to ESPN. He missed eight games in November with a posterior hip subluxation. The injury happened on a play where he attempted to catch an alley-oop.
“Sometimes I get knocked out the air and [a foul] don’t get called, and now I’m out longer than what I’m supposed to be,” Morant said. “Sometimes the foul might get called; I still hit the floor, but after the game you might feel that little fall. So I just pick and choose, man. Hey, two points is two points. I get it done. That’s all that matters.”
Morant also missed all but nine games last season after serving a 25-game suspension and suffering a season-ending torn labrum. He says he’s prioritizing his health.
If that’s the case, and he truly ends up dunking less over the course of his career, what happened at TD Garden Sunday night becomes even more special.
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