When Ja Morant made a circus shot against the Orlando Magic, fans couldn’t understand how he did it. The answer was simple.
Morant faked right, drove left, and when Orlando’s Wendell Carter Jr. moved over to help, Morant leaped to sidestep him, double-clutched, and tossed in a left-handed shot. The secret to the move? It was illegal.
Morant answered the rhetorical question with an extremely honest answer. How did he elude the defenders? By taking at least four steps with the ball before flipping in the shot.
Intrepid internet video analysts confirmed that Morant landed two feet squarely on the ground before releasing his shot. Even with the NBA’s renewed focus on enforcing the traveling rule, Morant got a pass on this one.
It’s notable that Ja was so honest. Usually superstars are complaining about the officiating on Twitter, not confessing to getting away with petty basketball crimes. But that’s part of what makes Morant so great: He’s extremely authentic and extremely honest. He also makes amazing plays so consistently that even a ridiculous travel gets the benefit of the doubt, and looks like just another piece of Morant brilliance.
Thanks in part to that call, Morant finished with 32 points and only three turnovers in Memphis’ fifth straight win. They could stretch it to eight on a three-game homestand featuring the Utah Jazz and two matchups with the woeful San Antonio Spurs. That’s right. Until next weekend, Ja and the Grizzlies are done traveling.
