

Williamson has played in only 85 of a possible 156 games because of injuries and also methods put in place to prevent more serious injuries. They’re currently sitting in the basement of the NBA, flatlined mainly by the body betrayal of the generational player who was supposed to save them. It’s a sobering situation, by comparison, with the Pelicans two years later. Because it doesn’t take a basketball scientist to know what Memphis, or anyone else, would’ve done with No. The entire package is quite attractive, and it has the Grizzlies believing they hit jackpot in 2019 when they lost to New Orleans and “settled” for the No.
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He brings that fire mentality every game, and it’s all because of his spirit, that fearless spirit.”Īnd, for what it’s worth: A player with swag who cuts a culturally cosmetic image - when Morant goes airborne, not only do arms and legs go flying in all directions, so does his amazing hair - is earning style points from the young and impressionable while being deemed irresistible by the TV cameras and networks that carry NBA games. “He has a motor that constantly puts pressure on the defense. “He is elite at getting to the rim,” Hornets coach James Borrego said. A player who’s only 22 years old is hell-bent on carrying his team, however heavy the haul and thin the shoulders, and showing tremendous growth in his third season. Just observe the similarities: A smallish point guard who, sight unseen, might be chosen last in a playground pickup game is among the most fearless players in the world. If what we’re seeing from Morant isn’t fleeting, isn’t some cruel tease before he parachutes back to the basketball planet, then he is the closest thing to being this generation’s Allen Iverson. Or, just take the word of teammate Dillon Brooks, who is admittedly biased yet perhaps on-point when he says: “He’s up there with Steph Curry.

Morant is still a shade under 175 - he evidently steers clear of the blue-ribbon barbecue joints around here - yet constantly challenges the biggest players and usually comes away with the bucket and their ego. He is defining how a box-office player should look and deliver on a nightly basis. Here in Memphis there is much jubilation over a player who, in terms of being an attraction, is second only to Graceland - and only tourists go there, anyway. Or perhaps showcases a 360 layup instead. It all seems so distant now, so surreal, so unfathomable each time Ja Morant takes flight at the rim and drops another soul-stealing dunk on someone’s cranium. Meanwhile, a bit further up the Mississippi on Beale Street: There was actually some debate - not heavy, but still - whether the Grizzlies should choose RJ Barrett at No. At team headquarters, there was euphoria caught on camera, and all of New Orleans contemplated holding a second Mardi Gras in celebration. The Pelicans, reeling from years of neglect and juggling an unhappy Anthony Davis who wanted out, earned the right to select Zion Williamson, the unanimous People’s Choice as the grand prize of that Draft. That unforgettable and emotional scene on a night in May was understandable then. Yes, there’s a difference, at least according to the scoreboard two years later: The New Orleans Pelicans chose first while the Memphis Grizzlies won. The team winner of the 2019 draft lottery did not see employees burst into unbridled joy and hug each other and pound tables and immediately open the phone lines for ticket sales, not like the team that secured the No.

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Get NBA League Pass NOW: Stream FREE for 7 days.Ja Morant is averaging a career-best 26.5 ppg this season.
