NBA Notes: Grizzlies, Ja Morant, Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Pacers

Grizzlies

ESPN’s Tim Bontemps reports that teams across the league no longer view Ja Morant as the same player who once vaulted Memphis into the contender conversation.

The evidence is in the shot profile. Per Basketball Reference, only 15.4 percent of Morant’s attempts this season have come inside 3 feet. As a rookie, that number was nearly 40 percent and has declined every year since.

Morant hasn’t made up the difference with perimeter shooting. Before his latest calf injury, he was 10-of-60 from deep.

Scouts tell Bontemps that the drop-off in athletic burst, combined with the lack of shooting, has dramatically altered his impact.

Several evaluators expect Memphis to test the trade market, but value may be tough to find.

“I do think they’ll move him,” a West scout told Bontemps.

Bucks

Bontemps notes that Milwaukee’s offense remains almost entirely dependent on Giannis Antetokounmpo.

With him on the floor, the Bucks have an offensive rating of 123.5 points per 100 possessions. Without him, that number plummets to 102, which would rank below the league’s bottom offense.

With Antetokounmpo out up to two weeks due to a groin strain, coach Doc Rivers faces a difficult stretch.

One executive told Bontemps that Milwaukee simply doesn’t have enough on-ball creation to survive extended minutes without its star.

“Of course not,” the exec said when asked if the Bucks can stay afloat.

Pacers

Indiana was expected to take a step back with Tyrese Haliburton lost for the season and Myles Turner gone in free agency.

But Bontemps writes that no one anticipated this start. The Pacers sit last in offense, next-to-last in net rating and have already been hit with additional injuries across the rotation.

There is one silver lining. Indiana reacquired its 2026 first-round pick from New Orleans in June, giving the front office the flexibility to reset.

Bontemps noted that the organization is now positioned to land an elite prospect next spring and lean into a true transition year after last season’s Finals run.