Grizzlies star Ja Morant currently leads the NBA in points scored in the paint. A perfect way to fire back at doubters who questioned his ability to compete in the NBA, calling him ‘too small'.
Morant has made an early case for the league's Most Improved Player by playing at an elite level this season. The Grizzlies cornerstone is now averaging 26.0 PPG, 6.3RPG, and 7.1 APG. To put things into perspective, Morant finished last season averaging 19.1 PPG, 4RPG, and 7.4 APG—certainly massive improvements from his numbers in the points and rebounds department.
The 22-year old is known for his freakish athleticism that allows him to get up at the rim while blowing by slower defenders with ease. With that said, the increase in Morant's points numbers can be attributed to his performance in the paint—which may surprise some fans given Morant's size.
Kirk Goldsberry recently shared a scoring chart on Twitter that shows the Grizzlies superstar is indeed the leading scorer in the league for points scored in the paint. This stat was determined by players who made the most field goals in each specific zone on the court.
Leading Scorers By Zone pic.twitter.com/mmEj1Lls1v
— Kirk Goldsberry (@kirkgoldsberry) November 19, 2021
Being that Morant actively uses social media, he then quoted Goldberrys' tweet, clapping back at any doubters who questioned his size amid his entrance into the NBA.
coming out of college they were saying" i was too small & wouldn't be able to finish at the rim vs the bigs in the NBA. "
looks like i'm doing just fine 🥲 https://t.co/aRTIo2eh3l
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) November 19, 2021
However, despite Morant's leap this season, the Memphis Grizzlies only sit at 7th in the Western Conference standings with an 8-7 record. Grizzlies fans will be hopeful that their team can bounce off of Morant's run of form, and convert their season into a deep playoff run later on.
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