Ja Morant, one of the top prospects for the upcoming NBA draft, was absolutely spectacular for the Murray State Racers as they trampled Marquette in the round of 64 behind the guard’s triple-double
There have definitely been some doubts about Ja Morant’s talent and if he can play at the same level against higher competition since he is in a small conference with Murray State. Well, all those doubters were silenced on Thursday when Morant dominated the number five Marquette Golden Eagles, leading his team to 83-64 win.
Morant dropped 19 points on the night, dishing 16 assists in the process and also collecting 12 boards. He was the first player since Michigan State’s Draymond Green in 2012 to record a triple-double in the NCAA tournament.
His performance against a pretty solid Marquette team who was ranked a lot higher than Murray State says a lot to the type of player the sophomore is. Ja Morant is ready for the NBA in every way possible.
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Talented in so many ways
Morant started off a little bit shaky in this game, missing several easy lay-ups and making some mistakes on the passing end. But he quickly turned his game around and dazzled from that point on. His passing abilities are off the charts, and he proved on Thursday that he could possibly be the most talented playmaker in this draft class.
Morant has extremely impressive court vision. On many occasions throughout this game, he was either finding guys for open looks around the perimeter or dishing it down low or up top to his center. There were several times where Morant threw up nifty alley-oops, catching Marquette off guard.
The projected second overall pick behind Zion Williamson, Morant was clinical in driving to the rim, attracting defenders towards him, which opened up space on the perimeter for wide open 3-pointers. His unselfishness is an unbelievable trait that he carries and he really does make everyone around him better with a high basketball IQ.
Now to his scoring. He had 19 points on the night, and between his points and assists, Morant was directly involved in 53 of Murray state’s 83 points. Remarkable. His quickness and ball-handling skills are at a very high level, leaving Marquette’s Marcus Howard in the dust several times. At the end of the 1st half with just seconds left, Morant crossed over Howard, stepped back, and hit a dagger.
Morant was 2 for 2 from 3-point range in this game and 6 for 10 from the field. He did a lot of his scoring at the rim, including a highlight reel dunk where he cut to the hoop, received the pass, and took off flying.
Playing against one of the best guards in the country in Marcus Howard, Morant made easy work of him. In every aspect of the game, the Murray State star was spectacular. His ability to pick out teammates in the tightest of spaces with passes is probably the one thing that makes him so special.
Add in the fact that he’s a freak athlete with superior quickness and he can shoot the ball well, and you have yourself one very exciting player who could blossom into a star at the NBA level.
Morant is a game-changer in so many ways and it’s going to be very interesting to see just how far he can carry the Murray State Racers in this tournament.