Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant is a legitimate ROY candidate
With Zion Williamson sidelined, Memphis Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant is a legit candidate to win the NBA’s Rookie of the Year
Ja is here, and Ja is here to stay. An athletic guard with strong passing instincts, this kid can take it to the HOOP – and can also get his teammate’s buckets with ease.
Players tend to want to make their own name and create their own legacy, and while they appreciate comparisons to past and present stars, tend to what to come into their own and put their unique stamp on the game.
With that being said, it is hard to not see the similarity and potential in Ja Morant‘s game akin to John Wall, Russel Westbrook, De’Aaron Fox and so on. He is fast. Really fast. His passing vision is absolutely tantalizing for such a young player, especially when that is coupled his ability to get up the floor and break down the defense with his perfectly solid dribbling skillset.
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He is no Kyrie Irving – yet – but he has all the time in the world to diversify his already impressive toolkit with new moves. His 3-point shooting isn’t particularly impressive yet but is another area of his game that has plenty of time to grow. Strictly speaking, if we are sticking with previous comparisons – he doesn’t need an elite three-point shot to make an immediate impact.
Russ is streaky, John Wall took quite a while to add range. When you are this fast, strong, and skilled those other aspects can come later. Ja is a future star, and thankfully, his star doesn’t burn alone – playing alongside him is an absolute beast in Jaren Jackson Jr, a multi-talented big man that is capable of scoring on all three levels, dishing the rock with above-average vision, and a solid defender.
With such a skilled running mate, and a roster that assures Ja will have plenty of touches there is a legitimate argument to be made that Morant is a solid candidate for Rookie of the Year. Zion Williamson is expected to miss 6-8 weeks to open the season – plenty of time for Morant to separate and distinguish himself from the other rookies in his class.
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The going will be tough, but if the new Grit and Grind point leaves it all out on the floor and comes even close to the monster double-double machine he was in college – Grind City’s future will be looking quite bright – and a ROY award may very well be on it’s way to their exhilarating one guard’s trophy shelf.