Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant will have all the opportunities to prove himself

Ja Morant will have all the opportunities he needs to prove himself during his rookie season with the Memphis Grizzlies

Ja Morant created a lot of hype across college basketball this year and it’s for good reason. His story is remarkable considering he had no college offers in his senior year of high school until a Murray State assistant coach saw him at a basketball camp in South Carolina.

Fast forward two years and Morant is now a lottery pick and the new franchise piece for the Memphis Grizzlies alongside Jaren Jackson Jr. Morant’s rise to stardom is extremely inspiring, but now it’s time to work.

He led the nation in assists this past season for the Racers, averaging ten dimes a game. Along with his special playmaking abilities, Morant averaged almost 25 points per contest. His combination of passing and scoring skills is remarkable and it’s one of the biggest reasons he was drafted with the second overall pick behind Zion Williamson.

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With Mike Conley now in Utah, Morant is officially the point guard of the future for the Grizzlies. It wouldn’t surprise me if he averages the most minutes by any rookie in his first season in the association alongside Zion Williamson.

But even though it’ll be a learning curve for Morant at the NBA level, expect to see some impressive performances from him.

Morant will take advantage of his chances

From an offensive standpoint, I personally don’t think Morant is going to have any problem. He’s a pure, natural scorer with great athleticism and explosiveness who can get by defenders in a heartbeat and finish at the rim.

His hops are outstanding as well, proving time and time again this past season that he can rise above the rim and throw down highlight-reel dunks even though he’s only 6-foot-3.

Obviously, he probably won’t average 25 a game at the NBA level right away. But his god-given abilities to find his way to the hoop or pull-up and hit a jumper will definitely translate to the league and it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see the 19-year-old average 15-20 points a game. Morant attempted just 1.7 3-pointers this past year for a 36 percent clip. He much rather get to the rim and finish, but if he can improve his shot from downtown, he’s going to take his game to another level.

I think the one thing that made Morant a No. 2 overall pick and separated him from most of the 2019 draft class is his ability to pass the basketball. This kid makes everyone around him better because he can find teammates in the tightest of spaces with creative passes. This trait will definitely be seen at the NBA level, but he will need to be less sporadic with it. He led the nation with 5.2 turnovers a game this past season and a huge reason for that is because he likes to try and complete the most difficult passes at times, especially in transition, which can definitely result in turnovers.

At the NBA level, he can’t be turning the ball over at this high rate. He’s a smart playmaker for the most part but he will have to make sure he makes the logical passes more often than not at the pro level.

The fact that he isn’t a selfish player and loves to get his teammates involved is such a valuable skill set to have. Morant should still average 7-8 assists a game in the NBA next season.

With Jaren Jackson Jr. down low and Jonas Valunciunas as well, if he stays in Memphis, expect to see Morant converting some sick dimes to these two.

Once he puts on weight, watch out

Morant is listed at just 175 pounds right now, which is very light. I understand he is still very young, but he will definitely need to pack on some muscle in order to be an unstoppable force in the NBA. Once he gains some solid weight onto his frame, along with his quickness, it’s going to be exciting to watch Morant turn into an NBA All-Star.

He will be similar to a Westbrook type frame once he gets leaner, except Morant has longer limbs than Russ. When he gets heavier, it will also help him become a better defender. He will be able to handle opposing guards like Russ or Damian Lillard a lot better when he’s stronger.

Memphis is definitely in a rebuild and Morant and Jackson Jr. are the key pieces to it. Add in Brandon Clarke as well from Gonzaga, and they have a nice trio of young players who will look to bring this team back to the playoffs. They will have to acquire some more players to really put themselves back into contention, but the future definitely looks bright.

Ja Morant will be given all the opportunities to shine this season and I have no doubts that he will do just that for the Memphis Grizzlies.