Ja Morant is making a huge impact in the NBA today as he never fails to electrify fans with his explosiveness every time plays on the hardcourt. Even Brooklyn Nets star player Kevin Durant, a future Hall of Famer, acknowledges how special the Grizzlies' star guard is.
Durant, one of the best scorers in the league, believes that Morant is going to be among the greatest players in the NBA.
Ahead of the Nets' game against the Grizzlies on Wednesday, Durant made positive remarks on the 22-year old athlete's amazing skills that "makes everybody better."Durant sees Morant as "a combination" of some of the best players, including Michael Jordan, who is hailed as the GOAT (greatest of all time) by many fans, players, and sports analysts.
A Combination of Basketball Greats
"When he's playing, I see like two or three, four different Hall of Famers in his game. From [Allen] Iverson to he might make a [Michael] Jordan-like layup, or he might run down the court like a [ Russell] Westbrook or a [ Derrick Rose]. And his float game is up there with some of the best that's ever played", Durant said, as per ABC News report.
Highlight clips of his monstrous dunks and other notable plays also go viral on different social media platforms, showcasing Morant's combination of speed, athleticism, elevation, and creativity whenever he goes up in the air-- which reminds basketball fans of a younger Michael Jordan.
KD, a two-time NBA champion, sees that Morant's future is "obviously bright" and "the sky's the limit" for his career. "He makes everybody better ... even opponents, so it's about the level you approach that game with, and I'm looking forward to it," the 33-year old Brooklyn star said in a report by ESPN.
For that reason, it is no surprise that Morant brought the Grizzlies so much success this season. Currently, the team is the second-best team in the Western Conference and will surely qualify in the playoffs.
Durant is looking forward to facing Morant and the Grizzlies, which he described as a "well-coached" team with a "good mixture" of young talents and "solid veteran players. Morant is expected to play on Wednesday after suffering a knee injury during a game against the Atlanta Hawks last Friday, as per CBS Sports.
Despite being taken to the sidelines in the second half of Friday's game, Morant led the team in scoring, assists, and minutes played. In 33 minutes, he scored 29 points (11-23 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 7-9 FT), made three rebounds, and had four assists.
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Morant For MVP
According to Bleacher Report, Morant is averaging 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists this season. His impressive performance makes him a contender for the MVP award.
Morant had a career-high 52 points, including an NBA season-high 34 points in the paint against the Spurs on Feb. 28. The game is also one of the two games this season wherein he scored 30 points in the paint. With 16.7 points per game in the paint, Grizzlies star Ja Morant leads the NBA in such category.
He's the lone guard in the top 10 and the only player under 6-foot-9. Morant not only tops the NBA in points in the paint (16.7 ppg) and points off drives (14.9 ppg), but he also spectacularly delivers those baskets on a nightly basis, making the Grizzlies must-see television throughout the season.
As a 6-foot-3 guard, Morant needs to have all of those weapons in his arsenal if he wants to lead the NBA in points in the paint, or even in other scoring categories, according to the league's website.
