There has already been quite a bit of buzz about this 2019 draft class, with the two Duke men in Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett grabbing the majority of the the headlines. It makes sense, since Williamson may be a once-in-a-generation talent and Barrett ended up in America's biggest market.

While the two former Blue Devils will certainly make their presence felt in this league, the man picked between them may be able to make a bigger impact this season, as Murray State product Ja Morant has shown he can make a name for himself.

Even though Morant didn't play a minute in Summer League due to a minor surgery, Morant should be 100 percent healthy by the time the season rolls around. Expectations will be high after Morant took the college basketball world by storm this past season.

In his sophomore season, he averaged 24.5 points to go along with 5.7 rebounds, 1.8 steals and a nation-leading 10.0 assists while shooting 49.9 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from 3. These impressive numbers helped him earn the 2018-19 Lute Olson National Player of the Year honor as well as the Bob Cousy award as the nation's best point guard.

Even though Murray State is not exactly a blue blood in the college basketball universe, those numbers are still quite impressive. Morant proved time and time again he can not only create shots for himself, but also make the teammates around him better, which are two skills that will be crucial when he steps onto an NBA floor.

Morant is projected to start for the Memphis Grizzlies as soon as the season starts, attempting to fill the shoes of a very talented point guard in Mike Conley. Although Morant won't possess the defensive skills of Conley, he has the potential to be a much more talented scorer, giving Ja a higher ceiling in today's NBA than Conley ever had in Memphis.

As talented as Morant is, the Grizzlies likely won't be a playoff team in his first few years in the league. This is a team that, even with Conley and Marc Gasol, ranked near the bottom of the league in true shooting percentage, defense and rebounding. It will be an uphill battle, but that's something Morant has become used to in his playing career.

What is encouraging for Grizzlies fans is the team has a lot of young talent to put around Ja Morant. Jaren Jackson Jr. is looking to take a leap forward in his second season in the league. Plus, it's encouraging to see the Grizzlies were able to win the Las Vegas Summer League thanks to the hard work of Summer League MVP Brandon Clarke and other young pieces like Grayson Allen, Yuta Watanabe and Bruno Caboclo.

There is potential for the Grizzlies, as the fun young core plus solid veteran contributions from Jonas Valanciunas, Jae Crowder, Kyle Anderson, Tyus Jones and Dillon Brooks make for an encouraging team that features a lot of talented players for Morant to pass to.

After he goes through the growing pains and settles in after his first few weeks, it's fair to project Morant at about 17.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game in his opening season in the league. Those are similar numbers to what Damian Lillard — another point guard from a small school — averaged in his rookie season.

Has the next Lillard fallen into the Memphis Grizzlies' lap? It's too early to tell, but at the very least, Ja Morant can earn a spot on the All-Rookie First Team and give fans in the heart of Tennessee to come to the FedExForum.