To say that Kendrick Perkins is a fan of Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant would be a bit of an understatement. So much so, that Big Perk already has the All-Star point guard as one of his MVP frontrunners for the upcoming season.

Speaking to ESPN co-host Malika Andrews, Perkins proved that he's all-in on the Ja hype train as he talked up the Grizzlies star's MVP credentials for 2022-23 (h/t Nico Martinez of Fadeaway World):

“When you talking about Ja Morant, listen, this shouldn't surprise us. We should know this guy is going to be in the MVP conversation, if not winning MVPs in the near future,” Perkins said. “Right now, there's nothing he can't do. When you talk about being a floor general, he can do that. When you talk about scoring with the best of them, he proved that he can do that.”

That wasn't all she wrote for Perkins. He went on to describe how Morant's unmatched swagger has a contagious effect on his Grizzlies teammates, and how this factor makes the Grizzlies such a big threat in the Western Conference:

“The thing that I love the most about Ja Morant is his tenacity on the defensive side of things,” Perkins continued. “Also, the swag that he brings to the court. When you have a guy like this, a leader, and you're on a roll, and when you're getting off the bus, you're walking with a certain type of swag because you know that number 12 is gonna bring the same dog mentality night in and night out. I haven't been talking about him a lot throughout the offseason cause I don't feel the need to. I told the world about him last year and the bar is still high for the number 12. The skill set of a Kyrie Irving with the athleticism of Russell Westbrook and the court vision of Rajon Rondo.”

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While it's still way too early to make such bold claims, it's actually hard to argue against Perkins here. Last season, Morant was an absolute revelation as he took the NBA by storm en route to winning the Most Improved Player of the Year award.

At this point, it is clear that Ja Morant has every intention of bringing his game to an even higher level this season as he looks to lead the Grizzlies to new heights. It is also abundantly clear that Big Perk is all for it.