Tennessee basketball: Kennedy Chandler and Ja Morant becoming NBA’s best story

Tyus Jones’ departure and Kennedy Chandler being from Memphis were already two great reasons to root for the Grizzlies selecting the Tennessee basketball one-and-done guard. However, beyond just his fit with the team, Chandler’s connection to Ja Morant makes it even better.

This may be the biggest factor of all and is becoming the best story of the NBA Draft. Morant became somewhat of a mentor to Chandler during the 2019-20 season after he was drafted by the Griz. Chandler then went away to prep school for his senior year, but he and the Griz superstar still stayed in touch.

Now, they are reunited, and it seems like both are thrilled about the matter. Even if Chandler fell to the 38th pick in the second round, the Tennessee basketball star and Morant have clearly shown a good bit of excitement. Morant’s own tweets have proven that, and Chandler has retweeted them. Morant even face timed Chandler after he was drafted.

When you have this type of chemistry with another player, it creates for a great atmosphere. Morant will clearly be Chandler’s biggest advocate on the team, and that will now carry weight since he is about to ink up a long-term deal. Chandler, understanding his role, will clearly accept it playing with Morant.

One of the reasons the two could connect is their style of play. Although Chandler is three inches shorter and not as athletic as Morant, he played a similar role with the Vols. He was their starting point guard, but Rick Barnes would often bring in the backup point guard, Zakai Zeigler, and run Chandler at the two.

Last year, that’s exactly what the Grizzlies did with Morant and Tyus Jones, the latter of whom played the role that Zeigler played with Tennessee basketball. Since Jones is likely going to hit the free agent market and command more money, Chandler has a chance to fill his void.

In that regard, Chandler is not just a backup to Morant. He is a guy who will be expected to play next to Morant. There is enough evidence on Twitter that this will work out, as they have played together before in different capacities, video highlights alone show how that has worked out.

Taking this into account, there’s an on-court reason for Chandler and Morant working out so well, and it’s truly the perfect situation. Again, he’ll never be Morant, but he can still be a very effective player in the league, and playing next to Morant can help that a lot.

As a result, the Tennessee basketball star staying in his hometown is turning into the NBA’s best story. He’s playing for the team whose superstar is his biggest advocate, he’ll be working with that superstar to back him up and play alongside him, and he’s got chemistry with that superstar. You truly can’t ask for more.