Emerging from Zion Williamson’s shadow, Ja Morant is the standout Rookie of the Year contender

THE longer injury denied Zion Williamson an NBA debut, the more the spectre of the No.1 draft pick’s anticipated arrival loomed over the ongoing season, dominating discussion and still sparking salivation over his impressive, albeit brief, Summer League showing from back in July.

But Williamson’s protracted absence has allowed the rest of the 2019 draft class to emerge from the shadow the Zion hype had cast over them. And none has shone as brightly as Ja Morant, the Memphis Grizzlies’ electrifying 20-year-old point guard.

A one-man highlight reel, Morant rose to prominence in his two years with Murray State, an unheralded university in Kentucky which managed recruit the dynamic youngster after he’d been overlooked by most scouts from Division One schools.

.@JaMorant has been a human highlight reel all season pic.twitter.com/cEozzCWuAK

— ESPN (@espn) January 18, 2020

At Murray State, Morant produced impressive numbers (24.5 points and 10 assists per game in his sophomore year) and spectacular plays, as highlights of his outrageous dunks and breath-taking assists made him a social media sensation and touted draft prospect. Even as he was drafted second overall last summer, though, behind only Williamson, doubts remained over how easily his productivity would translate to the big league, having faced a lower quality of opposition in college than his peers at more established colleges.

But, halfway through his maiden season in the NBA, any such doubts have been obliterated. Morant leads all rookies in points (17.9PPG) and assists (7.0APG) for the season so far. As things stand, he has helped drag a Grizzlies team in the midst of what was expected to be a lengthy and arduous rebuild into the final playoff spot in an ultra-competitive Western Conference, forming a devastating tandem with second-year power forward Jaren Jackson Jr.

And he has done it while retaining all of the flair that brought him to the dance to begin with – from behind-the-back fakes while dribbling to turn the ankles of those attempting to guard him, to almost – almost – leaping clean over the 6’8” Kevin Love in what would have been one of the dunks of the decade had he pulled it off. Simply put: Morant is box office. 

Morant has long drawn comparisons to Houston Rockets point guard and former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook for his athleticism and driving power when attacking the rim. But, while there are certainly some stylistic similarities between the pair, Morant appears to be tracing a steeper upward trajectory than Westbrook was at the same stage of his career.  

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The Grizzlies rookie is putting up better averages for points (17.9 to 15.3) and assists (7.0 to 5.3) per game than Westbrook during his debut season in 2009, as well as making more than twice as many three-pointers (0.9 to 0.4). And Morant is doing it all at a much more efficient clip (49% from the field and 40.5% from three to Westbrook’s 39.8% and 27.1%).

What’s more, Morant is producing these statistics while playing fewer minutes per game than Westbrook did (29.9 to 32.5). When adjusting the numbers to per-36-minute averages, the disparity grows (21.5 points and 8.4 assists to 16.9 and 5.9). The numbers do, however, also show where Morant still has room for development, with a higher rate of turnovers (4.0 to 3.7), and fewer rebounds (4.2 to 5.4) – although the latter is understandable given that, despite being listed as the same height (6’3”), Morant, at 175lbs, is a far less imposing physical presence than the 200lbs Westbrook.

Ja Morant is gonna be everything we wanted Russell Westbrook to be.

— Barry McCockiner (@MegaTroopLover) January 15, 2020

While the Westbrook analogy is the most common comparison made of Morant, he also shares traits with other great NBA point guards. His clarity of decision and creativity in transition, for example, is reminiscent of Jason Kidd, and his capacity to be in mid-air, hurtling towards the basket, and throw the opposition for a loop by slinging a no-look pass to an open team-mate was a trademark of two-time MVP Steve Nash.

An elite, versatile passer who dictates offense, Morant possesses the intelligence and game understanding of a much more experienced player. “He sees plays four or five moves ahead,” team-mate Dillon Brooks told The Athletic. “He sees little pockets of space that a lot of players can’t see, and it’s a benefit to us.”

And he is already a leader within the team, discussing play selection and tactics with coach Taylor Jenkins and team-mates during time-outs. Morant routinely asks to guard the opposition’s best players in search of a challenge and an opportunity to improve on the defensive end, and, after each game, he requests footage of both his good and bad plays to study.

Williamson’s size, athleticism and skill make him arguably hottest first-year prospect since Kevin Durant or even LeBron James came into the league; with his dynamism and directness at power forward, he’s like a young Charles Barclay, but with (the right kind of) size. But Morant has stepped out of Williamson’s shadow this season and emerged as the co-star of the 2019 draft class, creating a deafening buzz all of his own – and justifying it.