Ja Morant Makes Case For Being An NBA All-Star

After a fantastic rookie season, a season in which earned him Rookie of the Year honors, Ja Morant has a legit chance to be a first-time All-Star this season. Not only is he going to be better this season than he was in his rookie season, but will be on his own to start the season with Jaren Jackson Jr. being out. 

There is no timetable for when J.J.J. will be able to step out on the court and as a result, Ja Morant will have to play at an extremely high level to elevate this Memphis Grizzlies team. Last season, Morant averaged 17.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 7.3 assists and shot 47.7% from the floor. He ranked 5th in field goal percentage out of all point guards in the NBA and ranked 7th out of all point guards in assists. 

Ja Morant’s playmaking abilities are what make him such a great point guard and leader at the NBA level and he will only continue to improve. Not to mention, Morant’s athletic ability is comparable to Russell Westbrook and his athletic play. It is safe to say that Russell Westbrook’s career has panned out pretty well to this point and if the same holds for Ja Morant, we could be looking at a very special 21-year old. 

If Memphis is to have any shot at making it to the playoffs this year, Ja Morant will have to average 20+ points per game, 8+ assists per game and shoot 50% or better from the floor during the 2020-21 NBA season. Outside of Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr, the Grizzlies do not have an All-Star level talent on their roster and with Jackson Jr. expected to miss at least the first two weeks of the upcoming season, Morant has the opportunity to prove he is one of the top players in the entire league by being named a NBA All-Star.