Who is Ja Morant? NBA's 22-year-old star is chasing MVP status at the Memphis Grizzlies
- Tyler Vaysman
- 21 March 2022
Ja Morant is already establishing himself as one of the premier young stars in the NBA, despite being just 22 years old.
In only his third season in the league, Morant has the Memphis Grizzlies sitting with the second-best record in the league, and is averaging 27.6 points on nearly 50% shooting to go along with 6.7 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Because of his extraordinary play, especially at his age, he has become a favorite to come away with the MVP Award, competing with the likes of Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Not a bad list to be part of.
Shaq says Ja Morant is the best player in the NBA
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) March 9, 2022
“You should have seen his little cute face when I said ‘Yo man, you the best player in the league.’” 😂
(Via @NBAonTNT ) pic.twitter.com/trVV2jVxD4
He throws down an extremely powerful dunk for being just 6ft 3" and 174 pounds. A lot of times, he's willing to risk it all.
He nearly rivaled Vince Carter for the best in-game dunk of all time when he tried jumping over Kevin Love in just his first season in the league. However, he fell just short on that occasion.
Ja's MVP case
However, another element that could play into his favor is his popularity with the young fanbase of the NBA with his exciting display night in and night out.
A regular on social media, Morant is popular across the board, and it wouldn't be the first time popularity would come into play during an MVP decision.
If you want another case of popularity playing a huge factor in someone's MVP case, look no further than Derrick Rose back in 2011.
Both Morant and Rose aren't big-time 3-point shooters by any means. Rather, they'd be the type to take it hard to the rim and use their mid-range game to their advantage.
Morant also has a refreshing swagger to his game which plays well with the younger audience. He isn't afraid to show personality and try new things even if it were to end up on a blooper reel, such as his dunk attempt over Love.
One concern about Morant's game from a long-term perspective is that he doesn't shoot many threes. However, that can always be developed.
For now, the best thing to do is to enjoy the amazing athleticism Ja puts on display each and every performance. Then, just hope he continues down the path of being one of the greatest players in the game today.
