Temetrius "Ja" Morant

[No-Man]

Trae was an elite shooting prospect, with incredible feel for the game, the most polished freshman PG since probably Chris Paul or Mike Conley

stop it

[doordoor123]

Trae was an elite shooting prospect, with incredible feel for the game, the most polished freshman PG since probably Chris Paul or Mike Conley

stop it

On the flip-side Morant might be the most high-profile rawer PGs I’ve ever seen.

[DirtyDez]

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[King Ken]

I would say Trae > Ja. But it sounds in your case it sounds less to do with you being high on Ja and more to do with your perception of Trae, given you said late top 10 for Ja, clyde.

Both are the two best PGs from the last two classes. Both are more polished than Fox but Fox is two way and the other two weren't

[AshyLarrysDiaper]

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This is what I’m gyotdamn talking about.

Let’s also add that he went 21-21 from the line and only had 3 turnovers.

At what point does the production outweigh the concerns about his lack of refinement?

[King Ken]

He is in the mix of best PG's of the last 5 seasons.

You have him, Fox, Trae, Ball, Shai, Sexton, Russell, Fultz, and Dunn. To me, he is right there in the mix with Young and Fox. I like him more than SGA, Sexton, and Dunn as a prospect. Fultz was such a good college prospect for me but I had him more of a 2 than a point. Same for Russell.

But as legit PG's, Trae, Fox, Ball, and Morant are the best I've seen of note in the last 5 years of the draft.

[916fan]

He is in the mix of best PG's of the last 5 seasons.

You have him, Fox, Trae, Ball, Shai, Sexton, Russell, Fultz, and Dunn. To me, he is right there in the mix with Young and Fox. I like him more than SGA, Sexton, and Dunn as a prospect. Fultz was such a good college prospect for me but I had him more of a 2 than a point. Same for Russell.

But as legit PG's, Trae, Fox, Ball, and Morant are the best I've seen of note in the last 5 years of the draft.

PG prospect wise, my rankings would be:
1. Fultz
2. Russell
3. Young
4. Ball
5. Morant

If anyone loved Fox as a prospect, I don't see how you wouldn't draft Morant top 3.

[clyde21]

Smith Jr. and Fox are still and have been the best PG prospects the last few years...followed by Garland.

Morant though is probably in the next tier with Ball, Sexton and Shai.

[King Ken]

He is in the mix of best PG's of the last 5 seasons.

You have him, Fox, Trae, Ball, Shai, Sexton, Russell, Fultz, and Dunn. To me, he is right there in the mix with Young and Fox. I like him more than SGA, Sexton, and Dunn as a prospect. Fultz was such a good college prospect for me but I had him more of a 2 than a point. Same for Russell.

But as legit PG's, Trae, Fox, Ball, and Morant are the best I've seen of note in the last 5 years of the draft.

PG prospect wise, my rankings would be:
1. Fultz
2. Russell
3. Young
4. Ball
5. Morant

If anyone loved Fox as a prospect, I don't see how you wouldn't draft Morant top 3.

I agree. Disagree with the list

Mines is:

1. Morant - He has the perfect mix of athletic ability and playmaking. He can play at any tempo and I think he will have tremendous value as he doesn't need to score to have an impact on the game. More accurate of a passer than Trae but not anywhere near the same vision. His defense isn't good. Like Young, will have a lot to learn at the next level.

2. Ball - I loved Ball as a prospect. I liked him more than Fox due to his ability to be able to play on and off the ball and his defensive potential was high to me. I saw a Jason Kidd like PG and I always felt Kidd was one of the greats. Nothing has changed on Ball. He is exactly what I thought he would be.

3. Young - Wasn't a huge fan. But I loved his shooting ability and playmaking. He had tremendous range and he just seemed to score at will. His defense? He didn't play any. His finishing was okay but I wasn't a fan. Surprised, he is a much better rookie than I thought he would be. His work ethic and slashing ability was vastly understated by me on him as a prospect. I did see the potential. I felt he could be the best player in the draft last year long term. I still feel that way.

4. Fox - I wasn't a huge fan. He wasn't much of a shooter but had a decent stroke. Wasn't always impactful. Freak speed and agility but was weak. Smart as heck but wasn't consistent. Defensively ability was high but consistency was low. Just an incomplete player and I felt Monk was more advanced as a prospect but I did think Fox had a higher ceiling than Ball but it was going to take time.

I didn't realize it was going to come so fast. This is just a sentiment to his work ethic. The talent was always there as was the BBIQ.

5. Dunn - Two way PG, didn't have natural PG skills but he was a great defender. He knew how to make the right plays. Great natural strength and intelligence. Reminded me a lot of Chauncey Billups who I loved as a PG. He has had a tougher time translating than I thought he would. He just didn't shoot well enough and he hasn't figured out how to use his strengths yet. He needs to land in a better situation where they can develop him more. I still like him but he is looking like a bust right now.

I liked advanced PG's and versatility. I never seen Russell or Fultz as PG's. I always looked at them as SGs or false SG's. James Harden is the best false PG in the NBA.

[No-Man]

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[Duke4life831]

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This is what I’m gyotdamn talking about.

Let’s also add that he went 21-21 from the line and only had 3 turnovers.

At what point does the production outweigh the concerns about his lack of refinement?

I don't know. He did this against one of the worst teams in college basketball. And I'm not exaggerating when I say that. We are talking about a team that is ranked in the 320s out 353 teams.

You put Grimes in the Mid Eastern Athletic conference instead of the Big 12, is he putting up similar games like this? I wouldn't be shocked if he did.

I get questioning when does the production outweigh the concerns about his lack of refinement. But we also have to weigh the level of competition he is going against to produce these stats. SIU is 327th out of 353 teams. This is close to as bad as it gets in college basketball.

[King Ken]

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Ja really is like Fox and Trae. They really aren't comparable to previous era PGs. Much better PGs and much better at finishing as well as passing.

Like the combo guard PG was the thing in the 2000s, the combo PGs in today's NBA is the thing, these guys are the new generation. The mix of true PG with volume scoring.

Brandon Jennings was suppose to be like this but he never had the BBIQ or the passing skills needed. Not to mention, he just couldn't shoot with range or finish. Fox and Morant have the potential out of college and Trae of course, that's one of his best traits

[clyde21]

i don't get the Brandon Jennings comp at all.

also, i don't understand all this 'refinement' talk. are we really gonna sit here and act like guys like Smith Jr., Fox and Trae Young were 'refined' as prospects?

the 'refinement' talk rings hollow for a 20-year-old dropping 24/6/11 on 34 PER and 65 TS%. yes, he has a lot of things to work on (off-ball, set shot, pull-up game, getting stronger, etc.), but who doesn't as a prospect?

[King Ken]

i don't get the Brandon Jennings comp at all.

also, i don't understand all this 'refinement' talk. are we really gonna sit here and act like guys like Smith Jr., Fox and Trae Young were 'refined' as prospects?

the 'refinement' talk rings hollow for a 20-year-old dropping 24/6/11 on 34 PER and 65 TS%. yes, he has a lot of things to work on (off-ball, set shot, pull-up game, getting stronger, etc.), but who doesn't as a prospect?

I watched every minute of Trae Young this season. He is not refined or polished. He has the ability and the talent but the consistency is lacking and the decision making is a WIP. I watched Fox as a rookie and it was pretty much the same but not as impactful.

The NBA is just a lot more difficult for rookie PGs than the NCAA is. He is ready to leave the NCAAs. He isn't raw like Jrue Holiday or Jeff Teague was out of college but he isn't ready to make a positive impact as a rookie. Hardly any of these NBA prospects is. The last one we saw was Damien Lillard. He was a senior

I wasn't a fan at all of Smith Jr. I thought he needed a couple of years in college still. Its showing in the NBA

[kulaz3000]

Trae was an elite shooting prospect, with incredible feel for the game, the most polished freshman PG since probably Chris Paul or Mike Conley

stop it

Elite? Trae jacked up 10 3 pointers a game, shooting at 36%. Ja is shooting half that, and shooting the 3 at a 34% clip. Don't get me wrong, there is no arguing that Trae is the better shooter, but he was always considered a gunner, and not an elite shooter by any stretch.

Ja is significantly a better athlete, better measurements, a significantly better finisher around the basket, and though not as creative of a passer, he is still a really good play maker. Both struggled with turnovers though, and Ja will likely continue to struggles once in the NBA, at least until he has a better understanding of the league.

In terms of long term potential, Ja should be considered on par with Trae at the very least. Personally for me, if both were in the same draft, I go with Ja, even though he is a lesser shooter, I think he has more potential as an all round player than Trae, but that's just me.

[clyde21]

Trae was an elite shooting prospect, with incredible feel for the game, the most polished freshman PG since probably Chris Paul or Mike Conley

stop it

Elite? Trae jacked up 10 3 pointers a game, shooting at 36%. Ja is shooting half that, and shooting the 3 at a 34% clip. Don't get me wrong, there is no arguing that Trae is the better shooter, but he was always considered a gunner, and not an elite shooter by any stretch.

Ja is significantly a better athlete, better measurements, a significantly better finisher around the basket, and thought not as creative of a passer, is still a really good play maker. Both struggled with turnovers though, and Ja will likely continue to struggles once in the NBA, at least until he has a better understanding of the league.

In terms of long term potential, Ja should be considered on par with Trae at the very least. Personally for me, if both were in the same draft, I go with Ja, even though he is a lesser shooter, I think he has more potential as an all round player than Trae, but that's just me.

btw, Trae Young's 3PT% was front loaded. In conference play his 3PT% actually dropped from 36% to 32%.

also:

Young: 8.6 assists on 37.1 usage
Morant: 10.6 assists on 32.0 usage

Morant actually has a better assist ratio for his usage rate than Young, too, by a pretty considerable margin.

disclaimer: Young was a year younger, so that could play a factor in evaluation

[Mulhollanddrive]

There can be exceptions to the rule but undersized PGs without a jump shot are surely one of the riskiest prototypes you can spend franchise changing equity on.

Even average PGs of his generation like Sexton, Gilgeous-Alexander, Ball have the physical capability to shut him down without needing much else.

[EMG518]

Why do people think he is undersized, he is listed as 6'3" and he looks long for a pg.

[No-Man]

LMAO at Ja as a better finisher than Young

[atlantabbq99]

He looks like he is 6'5, but he looks super skinny but Anthony Davis showed that you can easily put on muscle in 6 month.

The hype for Morant is real, he is the first elite defensive PG i have seen since Deron Williams. He could become Gary Payton, J Kidd level one day.