At the 2019 NBA Draft, the league welcomed a young player with both popularity and strength - Fat Tiger. However, among the rookies of the same year, the second pick Ja Morant was equally popular and controversial. Since joining the league, this young man from Murray State University has been known for his youthful vigor. He once boasted in an interview: "I am the most athletic guard, I can beat Jordan one-on-one!" At the same time, in an exclusive interview with ESPN, he also said: "There is no problem with drama, I am already studying the Celtics." These remarks gave him an impression of arrogance and sparked continued heated discussions. People who like him think he is passionate and true, and dares to speak and act; people who hate him think he is too arrogant and arrogant. So, who is the real Morant? Where does his confidence come from? Let us walk into Morant's basketball life together.
Morant's choice to play basketball is inseparable from the influence of his family. His mother also played basketball in high school, and her position was the same as Morant's today, a point guard. His mother taught him that as a point guard, he must be patient enough to truly understand everyone's role. His father was a teammate of the famous Ray Allen in high school, and he also received some tryout invitations from NBA teams after graduating from college. It was only because his wife was pregnant that he gave up his basketball dream in order to support his family. Although Morant wanted his son to inherit his mantle, it was far from easy to put it into practice. Because Morant's physical condition was not outstanding when he was young, he has been questioned since he was a child. Therefore, Morant started training him when he was six years old. Not only did he have to complete skill and muscle training every day, but he also had to jump tires day after day. This was to train his jumping ability, and it also laid the groundwork for his later flying and hiding in the NBA. It was from then on that Morant would always compete with children who were a few years older than him, and he would not lose. Because of this, the confidence we see in Morant today has actually been engraved in his DNA.
While Morant is arrogant to the outside world, he is full of affection for his family. He once said that his father always said that he was overrated and dissatisfied with himself, but in fact, it was to motivate him. His father had the opportunity to play professional basketball, but he chose to retire and concentrate on training himself. This made him pursue his dream while also shouldering his father's dream. But despite this, Morant, who was not in good physical condition, was often knocked away in high-level competitions. He even couldn't dunk until his sophomore year. In high school, he was actually rated as a sporadic high school student. People have always focused on geniuses like Fat Tiger, but few people pay attention to Morant beside him. Indeed, a little-known fact is that Morant was a teammate with Fat Tiger for a season in middle school. However, true talent will always be discovered. Before graduating from high school, Morant met his mentor. It is said that James Kane, an assistant coach at Murray State University, drove seven hours to inspect another guard, but accidentally witnessed Morant's performance in a 3V3 game while looking for snacks, which aroused his interest. The next day, Kane witnessed Morant's outstanding performance in a 5v5 game and immediately contacted head coach Matt McMahon, suggesting that he come and watch immediately. McMahon was impressed by Morant's performance and decided to offer him a scholarship, allowing Morant to enter Murray State University. It is said that this accidental experience of buying snacks was regarded as a godsend by the school team members.
Since joining the university, Morant has grown rapidly, his physical fitness has improved significantly, and he frequently performs high-altitude dunks. In his sophomore season, he averaged 24.5 points and 10.0 assists per game, becoming the first player to achieve this since the NCAA began counting assists in 1980, and won the Bob Kusch Award. The well-known Morant declared for the 2019 draft and quickly became a top-three pick. Although Murray State University is not a famous basketball school, here, Morant has tempered his will and learned how to go all out in a small place. Therefore, he did not refuse to try out for the Memphis Grizzlies like Duke's RJ Barrett did. In the end, Barrett was selected by the Knicks with the third overall pick, while Morant was selected by the Grizzlies with the second overall pick and went to Memphis without any complaints.
In the two seasons before Morant was drafted, the Grizzlies missed the playoffs. During this period, they also sent away veteran veterans Mark Gasol and Conley and began to build a younger lineup. Finally, they welcomed Morant. Although Morant failed to lead the Grizzlies to the playoffs in his rookie season, his performance of 17.8 points and 7.3 assists per game was enough to overwhelm the Fat Tigers and win the Rookie of the Year award, which strengthened the Grizzlies' determination to rebuild the lineup with him as the core. As a sophomore, he averaged 19.1 points and 7.4 assists per game, and defeated the Spurs and Warriors in the single-game play-offs, helping the Grizzlies, ranked ninth in the Western Conference, into the playoffs. One win in the series against the league's No. 1 team.
Last season, he improved significantly, averaging 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game. Not only was he named the Most Improved Player of the Year, he was also selected to the Second Team of the Year and as an All-Star starter. Under his leadership, the Grizzlies ranked second in the Western Conference and lost to the eventual champion Warriors in the Western Conference semifinals after six games.
Since the end of last season, Morant has frequently made confident remarks in the past year. In an interview during the 2022 offseason, he said that he could beat Jordan one-on-one, and no one could beat him in a one-on-one match. This sentence has attracted widespread attention, after all, he is comparing the God of Basketball. At that time, the host kept directing the topic to Jordan. Morant initially showed admiration and pride, and said that if he met Jordan, he would definitely thank him and introduce himself to him. But the host insisted on not letting go of the topic, so Morant said that he wanted to play in Jordan's era and compete with him. The atmosphere has been set off, and then the host asked with a smile who could win, and Morant could only smile and say that he could beat Jordan. Obviously, his original intention was not to think that he had already defeated Jordan, but a joke. However, when the media reprinted it, Morant's previous tribute to Jordan was rarely mentioned. In any case, this interview showed Morant's strong competitive spirit and self-confidence, which drove him to get closer to his predecessors and try to surpass them.
Fans had mixed opinions on his remarks, with most of them being derogatory, but Morant, who has a strong psychological quality, was not knocked down by outside public opinion. In October 2022, the new NBA season began, and Morant attracted attention again at the end of the year. In an exclusive interview with ESPN, he said that he only focused on the Celtics when studying his opponents. When the reporter further asked about the Western Conference teams, he said he was not worried about his opponents in the Western Conference. Shortly afterwards, the reporter interviewed him again, and he still insisted on this point of view. Just over a third of the season, Morant was already studying his opponents in the finals. As soon as these remarks came out, all parties were waiting to see the Grizzlies and Morant's jokes. Unexpectedly, Morant, who made a bold statement, did what he said, and then led the team to a wave of eleven consecutive victories, consolidating the second place in the Western Conference, and has maintained this ranking until now. After entering 2023, his similar remarks have become more and more. After defeating Liu Ma at the end of January to end a five-game losing streak, Morant, who scored 27 plus 10 plus 15 triples, stabilized the morale of the army after the game, saying that losing five games on the road was not in line with their identity. The comments suggest he has always believed the Grizzlies are one of the top teams in the league.
In an interview in early February, he added a new element to the Grizzlies' positioning: We are seen as the least popular team in the league. After the turmoil of the trade day, Durant joined the Suns, which completely changed the competitive situation in the West. Therefore, during the All-Star Game, Green, as a live commentator, jokingly asked Morant: "How do you feel in the West now?" Morant replied that he did need to consider the threats from the Suns and Warriors, but he still felt good in the West. Obviously, he was not affected by the trade day. He had previously stated: "My confidence will never change, and I don't care what others say." In an interview with Morant, Dentley, Tatum and Mitchell, when asked who is best at trash talk, everyone unanimously pointed to Morant. Although Morant often makes controversial remarks, many fans still appreciate his confidence and dominance, all of which stem from the Grizzlies' outstanding record and personal performance.
As the young leader of the team, the 23-year-old Morant is accompanied by another core player - Jaren Jackson Jr., a strong contender for the Defensive Player of the Year and also 23 years old. The team's second-leading scorer and three-point king Bane is 24 years old. In addition, the Grizzlies also include 27-year-old Dillon Brooks, 26-year-old Clark and Jones. Overall, this Grizzlies team is a vibrant young team, with no players over 30 years old in the main rotation. Therefore, Morant is not alone in Memphis. Under the tactical guidance of head coach Jenkins and the efforts of the whole team, the Grizzlies' defensive efficiency ranks second in the league, the winning rate ranks fourth, the average rebounds and blocks per game are ranked second in the league, and the average steals per game ranks fourth. They are disciplined and can put pressure on opponents in an orderly manner on both offense and defense. Morant himself is the first driving force of the Grizzlies' offense. His average data of 27.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game this season is far from enough to describe his explosive performance on the court. He was relatively thin in high school, but now he has attracted many audiences with his strong physical fitness and smart playing style. He is fast, has a high bounce, strong core strength, and amazing explosive power. He can run, jump, dunk, break through, and can flexibly change his movements in the air. The game against the Pistons in mid-January is the best proof. Currently, his fast break points rank fourth in the league, and his inside points rank sixth in the league. It is worth mentioning that in terms of inside points, only SGA, a guard player in the league, is higher than him. In this season, he not only achieved the feat of five triple-doubles, but also temporarily ranked fourth in the league. As the soul of the team, Morant has successfully instilled his style and spirit into the entire Grizzlies.
As early as last season's playoffs, Curry mentioned that Dillon's speech was full of confidence, even claiming that he belonged to a dynasty. When Morant talked about being invincible in the Western Conference, teammate Bain expressed the same view, believing that Morant perfectly represented the mentality of the entire team. The Grizzlies players did not dislike Morant's bold words, but instead supported their leader very much, and even imitated Morant's style when speaking.
However, Morant brings more than just his skills and leadership to the team, but also his temper. So far, seven players have been noted for multiple ejections, including Morant and Dillon. Therefore, the young Grizzlies need to exercise self-control on a psychological level.
Overall, this vibrant young Grizzlies team has always maintained a united and team-oriented spirit. They are currently ranked second in the Western Conference and are likely to enjoy home-court advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Although the Suns, Nuggets and Clippers are considered the top three in the Western Conference, the Grizzlies, which have top offensive and defensive players, should not be underestimated. If all goes well, Morant is expected to be selected into the All-NBA Team again at the end of the season. As for whether he can lead the team to go further, we will wait and see. Maybe he can bring more surprises to the fans.
In fact, many fans like Morant because of his uninhibited youth. In the NBA, many young people tend to be nervous when they first arrive, but Morant is different. He is fearless and always wants to challenge every opponent. Whether it is Love, AD or Gabbard, he is eager to compete with them under the basket. He can always make jaw-dropping and wonderful goals, inspiring fans' purest passion for basketball. People often forget that this domineering player was once a skinny child. In order to achieve what he has today, he has made efforts that ordinary people can hardly imagine.
Perhaps Tatum, Donchett, Fat Tiger and other young talents are more honest, low-key and humble, but we don't need to criticize Morant's confidence and arrogance because he has the ability. You know, at the age of 23, he has been selected to the All-NBA Team, led the team to the conference semifinals, and was selected as an All-Star starter. His future is full of infinite possibilities. Even if he talks big now, as long as he can fulfill his promises in the next few years, it will all be worth it. As for whether his dance before the end of the game is a victory celebration or a loser's final struggle, only time can tell. However, I hope that all individuals who have been despised can find the source of inspiration and courage in Morant. Why not go to a Grizzlies game in person, John Morant will definitely live up to your expectations.