After a lackluster start in his first two games as an NBA player, Ja Morant finally showed why he was picked second overall by the Memphis Grizzlies.
The 20-year-old guard form Murray State was instrumental in the Grizzlies’ stunning 134-133 overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.
Going head-to-head with six-time All-Star Kyrie Irving, Morant proved he belongs in the big leagues by dropping 17 of his team-high 30 points in the pivotal fourth quarter, to go along with nine assists and four boards.
He displayed a veteran’s poise down the stretch, knotting the game at 120 after knifing through the defense and finishing a tough lay-up in traffic with seven seconds left in regulation.
The 6’3 guard came up huge in the ensuing possession, locking up Irving and rejecting his jumper to send the game to overtime.
JA. MORANT. CLUTCH.
Hits the game-tying bucket, then blocks Kyrie to send it to OT‼️ pic.twitter.com/wTncKTuHEm
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 28, 2019
His heroics paved the way for Jae Crowder’s own in the extra five minutes, as he delivered a well timed handoff to the trailing forward, who went on to hit the game-winning three-point dagger to give Memphis its first win of the season.
Morant averaging 18 points, 3.7 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1.7 steals in three regular season games so far. He still needs to work on his decision making, as he has committed 16 turnovers in his first three games — with six of those coming in tonight’s win.
Still, his bounce back game will certainly silence some critics, who immediately counted him out after he was outplayed by fellow rookie point guard Coby White in their last game against the Bulls.
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