Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies helped put the finishing touches on a terrific victory against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night by going directly at James Harden on offense. In one play, the 20-year-old rookie gave Harden a taste of his own medicine with a spicy stepback triple that seemingly surprised the NBA’s scoring leader:
https://twitter.com/LegionHoops/status/1217286019357134849
Indeed, as Ja Morant entered the league, there were no doubts about his athleticism, ability to get to the rim, and passing, but most draft experts and scouts seemed to be seriously concerned about his perimeter shooting.
During his two-year college career, Morant shot 34.3 percent from downtown on 29.8 percent three-point attempt rate. In his sophomore season, that number crept up to 36.3 percent on a 29.6 percent attempt rate, but it must be admitted, his shooting form certainly left a lot to be desired.
Morant sort of “shot put” the ball out away from his body, and it simply didn’t look natural. Now, Morant is looking to silence all the doubters in his rookie campaign – which will surely end with him winning Rookie of the Year.
“The doubters said I couldn’t shoot. I’m proving them wrong.”@JaMorant hit two big time 3-pointers against Harden who dared him to shoot. pic.twitter.com/WnU0OxVZ8T
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 15, 2020
So far through 34 games with the Memphis Grizzlies, Morant is putting up big-time numbers on a Grizzlies team that is looking fairly comfortable as the West’s 8 seed. At age 20, and with a lofty 26.9 percent usage rate, Morant is putting up 17.8 PPG, 6.9 APG and 3.4 RPG.
His three-point shooting, which was the cause of so much concern pre-draft? The former Murray State Racer is 3rd among all qualified rookies in three-point percentage with a 39 percent clip heading into tonight’s action.
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