Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant believes he is among the elite point guards in the NBA.
The reigning NBA Rookie of the Year told the āInside The NBAā crew he feels he is āfor sureā among the top point guards in basketball. Morant's response drew praise from Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade and Candace Parker, with O'Neal saying he agreed with the assessment.
"Top five, for sure." š@JaMorant ranks himself among the league's best point guards. pic.twitter.com/oGOUim9bho
ā NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 5, 2021
The Grizzlies star has every reason to believe he's a top point guard.
Before he was a budding superstar, he was āJa Morant: Mid-Major prospect.ā Morant had to make a name for himself during his time at Murray State. His outstanding collegiate career led to him being selected with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. It's been all uphill since then.
Morant has elevated his play from last season. He is averaging 19.1 points, 7.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds through his first 56 games. The efficiency hasn't been quite as strong. Morant is shooting below 30 percent from beyond the arc and below 50 percent from inside the three-point line.
However, the numbers only explain so much. Like some of the other top point guards in the league, Morant is helping the Grizzlies play winning basketball.
Memphis is currently tied with the Golden State Warriors for the eighth spot in the Western Conference. The Grizzlies have a great chance to stand alone in the No. 8 spot, as their next four games come against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons, Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans.
Whether Morant is a top-5 point guard is up for debate. It gets crowded after the likes of Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul andāif considered a point guardāLuka Doncic. The likes of Kyrie Irving have a convincing argument.
Regardless it's hard to argue with winning. Even if Morant isn't a top-5 PG at present, he almost certainly will be in the near future.
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