OKC Thunder Prospect Series: Is Ja Morant the next Russell Westbrook?
Ja Morant climbed the draft boards with his speed and athleticism and a similar no fear quality that OKC Thunder Russell Westbrook exudes. So it shouldn’t surprise Morant cites Westbrook as a player he’s shaped his game after.
Although there is uncertainty outside the top draft pick the predominant thought is Ja Morant will be selected second by the Memphis Grizzlies. The youngster cites Russell Westbrook of the OKC Thunder as motivation and his game showcases the influence of one of his favorite players.
Morant like Damian Lillard (Weber State) went to a smaller school in Murray State and equally like Dame is a player who could become a factor for years to come. The intriguing part of this prospect however, is if he does land with the Grizzlies one would expect Memphis to move into a faster pace given the blazing speed of Morant (think De’Aaron Fox and Westbrook).
The irony, of course, is teams who fell down the ladder at the lottery could’ve used Morant and already have the assets to capitalize on his speed and athleticism. The Chicago Bulls, for example, would’ve been the perfect landing spot and offered a fascinating League Pass offering for next season.
Instead, Morant is likely to end up in Memphis as they reposition themselves moving on from the Grit and Grind era to presumably join the new era pace clubs.
Specifics:
- Height: 6’3”
- Weight: 175
- Wingspan: 6’7”
- Position: Point Guard
- Age: 19.8
- College: Murray State
- Stat line: 24.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks
- Home Town: Dalzell, South Carolina
| Season | G | MP | FGA | FG% | 2PA | 2P% | 3PA | 3P% | FTA | FT% | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | 32 | 34.0 | 9.1 | .459 | 6.3 | .525 | 2.8 | .307 | 4.3 | .806 | 4.8 | 6.5 | 6.3 | 0.9 | 2.5 | 12.7 |
| 2018-19 | 33 | 36.6 | 16.1 | .499 | 11.3 | .556 | 4.8 | .363 | 8.2 | .813 | 4.5 | 5.7 | 10.0 | 1.8 | 5.2 | 24.5 |
| Career | 65 | 35.3 | 12.6 | .485 | 8.9 | .545 | 3.8 | .343 | 6.3 | .810 | 4.6 | 6.1 | 8.2 | 1.4 | 3.8 | 18.7 |
Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 5/25/2019.
Glance at his freshman season versus his sophomore season and there are palpable improvements. The ball was put in his hand more and his attempts also went up but so did everything else. An improvement of almost four assists per game and doubling his points and steals are clear standouts.