NBA: 4 overreactions to the 2020-21 shortened preseason

NBA preseason overreaction: Ja Morant is ready to take the next step

Almost every single NBA player gets better in their second season. With a year behind them, players usually know what part of their game they need to work on and there isn’t the worry of being a deer in the headlights anymore.

For the players that excelled in their rookie campaigns, the sophomore jump can be even bigger (see Doncic, Luka).

Ja Morant just spent his rookie season as the starting point guard for a young, athletic Memphis Grizzlies team that almost made it into the playoffs when most experts had them picked to be drafting high in the lottery.

Through the preseason so far, Morant looks extremely ready to take his team all the way to the playoffs again. He averaged 17.5 points, 9.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and hits 56 percent of his shot attempts all in 25.8 minutes of play.

In his first game back, he put his entire layup package on display with plenty of sneaky finishes and dunks.

Jaren Jackson Jr. is missing the start of the season as he’s nursing a knee injury according to The Daily Memphian’s Chris Herrington and it’ll be a huge blow for Memphis’ playoff hopes, Ja might just be there to pick up the slack until JJJ comes back. Look out for the December-January Western Conference Player of the Month in a Grizzlies uniform.