“I don’t want to jinx it” – Shumpert believes only one thing can stop Morant from having an All-NBA season next year originally appeared on Basketball Network.
After 17 days, 54 hours of flight time, and 25,000 miles traveled on his Nike “Make Them Watch” world tour, Ja Morant is back home for a brief rest before the NBA training camp begins.
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If there’s anything noticeable from Ja’s two-week trip, it’s that he looked very healthy — although he almost hurt himself trying to dunk over his dad at one of his stops. However, not only did Morant look 100 percent, he was also a very happy man, enjoying the spotlight and the love that fans gave him from the U.S. to Asia — China, Japan, and the Philippines.
According to 2016 NBA champion Iman Shumpert, that shows that the Memphis Grizzlies star is ready to reclaim his place among the game’s best this coming NBA season.
“Ja Morant could be happy, he could be sad, he could be crying. I don’t care what. He is going to be an All-NBA. When you talk about somebody that that’s athletic, the only thing that can stop it is I don’t even want to say it. No, I don’t want to jinx it. But I’m saying that it’s the only thing that can stop him from being on the court and showing us what we want to see. He’s in love with the game, and that’s apparent no matter when you see him playing basketball. He loves it,” said Shumpert.
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Shump expects a big year from Ja
Morant was hailed as the next face of the NBA a couple of years back when off-court issues led to a pair of suspensions that halted his rise to full superstardom and hurt his brand. When Ja came back, injuries riddled his return, forcing him to play just 59 games in the last two seasons.
However, after getting his body back to full strength and getting a new head coach because he was unhappy with the team’s revamped offense last season, all signs point to a big comeback year from Morant, and Shumpert says nothing is going to stop the flashy point guard from having a great year.
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“Even when he stopped himself, when he returned to the court, give me Ja! I don’t care if he’s happy or sad. Just do Ja-like things,” added Shump.
Not so high expectations for the Grizzlies
With his backcourt partner Desmond Bane gone to Orlando via trade and former Defensive Player of the Year winner Jaren Jackson Jr. possibly out of the early season after suffering a right toe turf injury in an offsite basketball setting, all eyes will be on Ja when the 2025-26 season begins. However, as we saw during the 2021-22 season when the Grizzlies won 56 games and were the No.2 seed in the Western Conference, Morant is at his best when the spotlight is on him.
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For next season, oddsmakers have placed the Grizzlies’ over/under win total at 40.5. That means that Las Vegas is picking them to be right around the .500 mark next season. That may be a good thing for them because they can fly under the radar with not-so-high expectations and shock the league.
Sure, the loss of Bane and the possible absence of Jackson are going to hurt them next season. However, with the addition of veteran guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and promising young talents in Zach Ededy and Jaylen Wells, plus the re-signing of Santi Aldama to a 3-year deal, it would be foolish to sleep on the Grizzlies, especially with a happy Ja on the court.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 4, 2025, where it first appeared.