Could Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant be even more explosive this season?

Ja Morant was dressed in his Memphis Grizzlies warmup, dancing to the arena's pregame music when he made eye contact with Kennedy Chandler and took off running toward the rim. Chandler floated an alley-oop pass to Morant, then the All-Star point guard caught it with his left hand and spun in the air like a tornado.

Morant missed the dunk, but it was a sign of things to come. Not only did it indicate that Morant was going to put on a show in the preseason win against the Orlando Magic on Monday night, but maybe this could be the most explosive version of Morant yet.

Not just in terms of leaping ability. Morant has done that since Day 1 in the NBA, and he proved it again with a 360 dunk in transition while smiling. But Morant easily got to the rim and finished against a Magic frontcourt that featured three players 6-foot-10 and taller.

"Yea, rook," Morant said on the floor after attacking No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero and making an easy left-handed layup. Morant scored 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting and added seven assists in 21 minutes, 37 seconds of playing time.

Morant's ability to start and stop while moving side to side made it tough for defenders to stay in front of him, and his leaping ability did the rest.

Morant spent the summer working out with Morgan Wells, who trains athletes in Austin, Texas. Wells has communicated with the Grizzlies while training Morant since his rookie season. Morant has taken a noticeable leap in his first three seasons.

"I've been working on a lot of agility stuff, landings, jumping, getting my legs stronger," Morant said. "It felt like I had a li'l burst today. I credit that for getting to the rim by my defender."

The work that stronger legs and better landing could do for Morant could be a major development. Each of those two attributes could make him a more durable and explosive player.

And then there's defense. That's the end of the floor where Morant needed the most improvement after his standout third season. He had a negative defensive box plus-minus in his first three seasons. The fourth-year guard was engaged and competing defensively Monday. His natural athleticism has always been evident on chase-down blocks and rebounds, but Morant showed elite anticipation when he recorded three steals and navigated his way through ball screens.

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One of those steals led to the highlight 360 dunk and on another, Morant outhustled Zavier Simpson for the basketball and finished an easy basket.

On both of those plays, Morant's defensive awareness stood out.

"Nope! Nope!" Morant said to Magic guard Jalen Suggs while sliding his feet on defense and staying in front of the 2021 No. 5 overall pick.

Some opponents made it an emphasis to attack Morant on defense last season. Most notably, Patrick Beverley spoke about it during the Grizzlies' first-round playoffs series against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Morant said that coming into this season, improving defensively was one of his goals.

"Just showing that I can guard," Morant said. "Using my athleticism, how fast I am and my length on defense to disrupt ball-handlers, contest shots, make shots harder for the defender."

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies improving in preseason