Ja Morant

[BigRedDog]

just want to go on record and say by the time its all said and done I believe Ja Morant will be the best player from this draft class.

This kid is really going to be something special.

The PG position has been really down the last several drafts but this guy literally leaps off the page in every facet of the game.

[VCfor3]

Appreciate the love. I'm excited for his passing and how well his offcourt relationship with JJJ seems to be developing. Hopefully it translates to on the court and JJJ turns into a monster.

[Jamaaliver]

Ja Morant May Be the Next Westbrook, but Does the NBA Want Another Westbrook?

The Murray State point guard may be the best traditional point guard in this year’s draft. The question is how valuable that is in the NBA given the way the game is trending



No player in college basketball, not even Zion Williamson, has made more money in the pros this season than Ja Morant. The Murray State point guard went from a secondary option in the Racers offense as a freshman to one of the best players in the country as a sophomore. He has been so dominant (24.1 points on 49.8 percent shooting, 10.3 assists, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game) that he could become the first top-five pick from the Ohio Valley Conference since 1967. Morant has everything that a team looking for a traditional point guard should want. The question is how much they should want that type of player given the way the NBA is changing.

Spoiler:

He is having a historically great campaign in a ball-dominant role. Murray State runs everything through a player who can either score at will against one defender or find the open man when the defense sends help. He won’t be able to overpower NBA defenders with raw physicality. At 6-foot-3 and 175 pounds, Morant has a far scrawnier frame than Westbrook, who is built like an NFL linebacker. He is also more explosive vertically than laterally, and he doesn’t have the top-end speed of a young Westbrook or De’Aaron Fox. There is more craftiness and guile to his game.

A team that drafts a more ball-dominant point guard like Morant has to build its offense around him, which limits its flexibility with the rest of the roster. A decade from now, the best point guards in the league will either be significantly bigger than him or will be much better 3-point shooters than he is. Morant has too much going for him to bust out of the NBA, but he will need to keep reinventing his game to keep up with the way the sport is changing. For as great as he has been in college, a player like Morant can only be so valuable in the modern NBA.

The Ringer

[Jamaaliver]

Memphis ushers in a new era by handing the keys of the franchise to Ja Morant, who will have every opportunity to learn the ropes on the job alongside one of the top rookies in the NBA last year in Jaren Jackson Jr. Morant's speed, playmaking ability and flair for the spectacular will help transform the Grizzlies overnight into one of the most entertaining teams to watch in the NBA on a nightly basis, even if it will likely take time for that to translate to the win column. -- Jonathan Givony

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[Jamaaliver]

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[BigRedDog]

This is going to be a weird player comp but if you watch a lot of bball i think you'll get the comparison. His elite athleticism and upright style reminds me a LOT of Jeremy Lin. I think he steps into the league and has immediate success a la Linsanity. This guy has SERIOUS game. He's got amazing athleticism but honestly i think if you stripped away the athleticism and made him average he'd still be a player in this league. He's like a blend of Mike Conley's skills and Jeremy Lin's speed and athletic gifts... with crazy hops just randomly thrown in...

[VCfor3]

This is going to be a weird player comp but if you watch a lot of bball i think you'll get the comparison. His elite athleticism and upright style reminds me a LOT of Jeremy Lin. I think he steps into the league and has immediate success a la Linsanity. This guy has SERIOUS game. He's got amazing athleticism but honestly i think if you stripped away the athleticism and made him average he'd still be a player in this league. He's like a blend of Mike Conley's skills and Jeremy Lin's speed and athletic gifts... with crazy hops just randomly thrown in...

I'm excited to see his passing. Conley is a stud but wasn't really looking for JJJ nor is he an elite passer. Having a potentially elite passer actively looking for him (as well as lobs to Clarke) should be fun.

[Marcus]

This is going to be a weird player comp but if you watch a lot of bball i think you'll get the comparison. His elite athleticism and upright style reminds me a LOT of Jeremy Lin. I think he steps into the league and has immediate success a la Linsanity. This guy has SERIOUS game. He's got amazing athleticism but honestly i think if you stripped away the athleticism and made him average he'd still be a player in this league. He's like a blend of Mike Conley's skills and Jeremy Lin's speed and athletic gifts... with crazy hops just randomly thrown in...

I actually wasn't mad at the Rondo comp when i heard it. I think it works in terms of how Ja will change his game to be more of a facilitator that scores opportunely in the league. I'm just leery of who the go get me a bucket guy is on the team. It might end up being Ja by default for now but i'm still holding tight to a leap from Josh Jackson in this new environment.

[Jamaaliver]

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[Whole Truth]

That's some good company.

As rookies.

Magic averaged 18 & 7, shot 22% from 3 on 1 apg.

Lebron averaged 20 & 6, shot 29% from 3 on 2.9 apg.

Young averaged 19 & 8, shot 32% from 3 on 6 apg. Currently averaging 8.5 apg on 34% shooting.

Luka averaged 21 & 6, shot 32% from 3 on 7.1 apg. Currently averaging 9.4 apg on 34% shooting.

Ja is averaging 19 & 6, shooting 41% from 3 on only 2 apg.

Magic & James struggled from range entering the league so it's understandable why they only took 1-2 apg unlike Young & Luka's who averaged 6-7 apg on 32% shooting. Ja is currently shooting 41% on only 2 apg. He's capable from range. I'd like to see him in the 4-5 apg territory, even if it decreases his percentages somewhat. Both Young & Luka are basically up to 10 apg from behind the arc in their 2nd year, up 2% points from their 6-7 apg, 32% rookie years.

Long story short. I'd like Ja to attempt more 3's.

[VCfor3]

The first thing I want Ja to learn is better landing after going up for dunks.

But yeah him attempting more 3's is high on the list.

[Jamaaliver]

Ten NBA things I like and don't like, including the electric Ja Morant

1. Hello, Ja Morant

Morant is real. In Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. -- cut the fouls, big fella! -- the Grizzlies have two cornerstones. Brandon Clarke can defend all over the floor, and he is shooting 62% -- nailing 3s and glorious pogo stick floaters. The Grizz are the good kind of bad: young, fun, fearless.

It starts with Morant, who is absolutely electric with the ball. When he gets a head of steam, he can finish right through bigger defenders.

The league is awash in water bug point guards who get inside the foul line at will. What separates the greats is the ability to explode through traffic to the rim instead of settling for floaters. Morant has that extra gear.

Morant is shifty in tight spaces. He has a knack for changing speed and direction with an abruptness that confuses defenders. He already is smart about weaponizing his speed as an off-ball cutter.

Teams are going under picks and daring Morant to shoot 3s. He is accepting some of those invitations and is 12-of-29 from deep -- great early signs.

Like almost every rookie point guard, Morant has a long way to go on defense. He has the tools and grit to grow into a plus on that end. In his third NBA game, Morant swatted Kyrie Irving's game-winning attempt at the buzzer and talked all sorts of trash. He looks like a star in every sense.

ESPN

[Jamaaliver]

Shout outs to JaM!!!

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[Jamaaliver]

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[VCfor3]

I just like how he keeps showing up in the 4th. You have to have a clutch guy and he may be ours.

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[Jamaaliver]

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[Whole Truth]

Picture this

Jenkins COY
Morant ROY
Playoff experience/run
Losing record leads to 8th seed, lottery odds top 3 or convey a weak pick to Boston

[Whole Truth]

In talking about Ja's potential 50 / 40 / 90 season I came across the fact that no player has ever shot 60 / 40 / 80.

Jonas is currently averaging 60 / 40 / 76