Tag: Ja Morant

Ja Morant is a human highlight reel and the Clippers are his muse

He’s straight up embarrassing them.

Ja Morant is one of the best prospects in the NBA right now and is pretty much a lock for the Rookie of the Year award this season.

But that’s not what he’s most known for this year. He’s literally been a human highlight reel this season.

On more than several occasions this year, Morant has tried to end the careers of his NBA counterparts with a handful of ferocious dunk attempts that look physically impossible until Morant actually attempts them — Kevin Love can attest.

On Saturday, he put the Los Angeles Clippers on notice in their own building – and even Lou Williams was impressed.

In the second quarter, Morant snatched Jerome Robinson’s soul through his ankles and proceeded to drain a three after watching him buckle and stumble away like a baby giraffe.

So good. Morant is so good. So good, in fact, that even the greatest sixth man of all-time, Lou Williams, gave Morant a “respect” head nod after watching him ruin his teammate’s career before it really even got started.

Earlier in the game, Morant caught this lob attempt that he had absolutely no business catching and finishing.

Y’all, look how close his head is to the rim. He’s 6’3. There’s no way he doesn’t have wings under that jersey.

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Grizzlies’ Ja Morant is eager for the return of Zion Williamson

Ja Morant is among those around the sport that is anxious to see Zion Williamson return to the court following knee surgery in October.

Count Ja Morant among those ready to see Zion Williamson make his debut.

Williamson has started participating in on-court training exercises in recent weeks after undergoing knee surgery on Oct. 21. Williamson was a full participant in practice with the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday for the first time since surgery.

With Williamson sidelined, the suspense leading up to his official NBA debut has grown after a productive preseason stint with the Pelicans. Morant, his former AAU teammate, is among those around the sport that is anxious to see his return to the court as he tweeted out on Thursday afternoon.

The friendship between Morant and Williamson started when the two players joined up on the South Carolina Hornets AAU team. They each followed the other’s college career and would often post each other’s highlights on social media. So, if anyone would be excited about the return of Williamson, Morant would certainly be one.

While an official return date for Williamson has not been set, it appears as though the No. 1 overall pick could make his debut at some point this month and Williamson and Morant could soon see each other on the court. The Pelicans and Grizzlies play each other for the first time this season on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which would set up for an entertaining game.

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Kendrick Nunn, Ja Morant named NBA Rookies of the Month for December

For the second time this season, Kendrick Nunn and Ja Morant earned NBA Rookie of the Month honors.

Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nunn and Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant have been named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Rookies of the Month for December, the league announced on Thursday.

Nunn averaged 15.5 points, 3.9 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 15 games during the month of December, leading the Heat to an 11-4 record over that span. Nunn recently became the fastest undrafted rookie to score 500 points since 1976 after recording 17 points on Friday night.

Meanwhile, Morant averaged 15.5 points, 6.5 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 11 December games while he shot 48.5% from the field. Morant was the second-leading rookie during the month, just trailing the 17.3 points averaged by Rui Hachimura.

Nunn and Morant each won the award for the month of November.

Nunn and Morant have established themselves as perhaps the favorites for the Rookie of the Year award to this point and they continued their strong play in December.

With No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson nearing a return to the court, Nunn and Morant may have additional company to worry about, which should set up an entertaining battle throughout the rest of the season.

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Chris Paul’s court vision on Ja Morant’s ‘NBA Christmas wish list’

The Memphis Grizzlies rookie said that Paul’s “feel for the game is just different” in a recent interview with The Athletic.

Ja Morant is one of the rising stars in the NBA.

The second overall pick in the 2019 Draft, Morant has talent to spare and eyes on taking home the Rookie of the Year award.

But that doesn’t mean that the Grizzlies guard doesn’t envy some of the skills possessed by other guys in the league.

In fact, he told Joe Vardon of The Athletic, that one of the players he admires is none other than Oklahoma City’s Chris Paul.

Though Morant said he would take LeBron’s strength or Steph Curry’s shooting ability, the skill that impresses the talented rookie the most when it comes to CP3 is the veteran guard’s court vision.

“His feel for the game is just different. I learned from it when I went to the camp, he was showing film on himself. It’s just different, what he sees on the floor.”

Morant got the opportunity to learn from Paul following his freshman year at Murray State when attended Paul’s Elite Camp. But he got a more up close and personal education on December 18th when his Grizzlies traveled to OKC to take on the Thunder.

In a 126-122 loss to Oklahoma City, Morant went for 22 points and seven assists, although Paul had 18 points and five assists, plus the victory.

Morant will get another chance at Paul and the Thunder when Memphis tips off against OKC inside Chesapeake Energy Arena on Thursday night.

Kevin Love joked Ja Morant almost ended his career after dunk attempt

After Ja Morant almost dunked over Kevin Love, the Cavaliers veteran had the perfect response to the play on social media.

After 12 years in the NBA, it almost came to an end on Friday night for Kevin Love.

The moment happened in the first quarter when Memphis Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant took flight from nearly the free-throw line. Morant gathered himself, and with only Love in his way, rose up for the dunk attempt.

His dunk was nearly reminiscent to that of Vince Carter in the 2000 Olympics when he jumped over 7-foot-2 center Frederic Weis. Of course, Love is only listed at 6-foot-8 but it was almost as impactful.

By all accounts, Love took the near assassination well and had some fun with it afterward. His reaction to the dunk on Twitter was about as perfect as could be.

Fortunately, Love lived to tell his side of the story as he addressed reporters after the game. Love praised Morant for his abilities on the court and even asked if he could medically retire, via Spencer Davies of Basketball Insiders.

Love and the Cavaliers finished with the win over the Grizzlies as he recorded 21 points and 13 rebounds while Morant had eight points and 11 assists.

More importantly, though, he left with his career still intact.

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Kevin Love was blown away by Ja Morant’s stunning dunk attempt

Kevin Love says Ja Morant almost ended his career with this dunk.

It’s strange to say that a flubbed dunk attempt is the most exciting play of the NBA season so far, but in the words of Cavaliers star Kevin Love, Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant nearly ended his career on Friday night with what would have been one of the best dunks of the decade.

In the first quarter of Friday’s Grizzlies-Cavaliers game in Cleveland, Morant drove into the lane uncontested after grabbing a loose ball, and upon seeing Kevin Love lining up to take a charge outside the restricted area, decided to jump over Love entirely for a one-handed dunk. Morant couldn’t quite clear Love and was unable to finish the play, but the attempt itself was spectacular.

Love said after the game that he was so happy that Morant missed the dunk, or he may have had to take off his jersey and leave the floor.

“I went down to their bench and I said ‘he legit jumped over me.’ It was just at the very end he clipped me with his leg, but I was so glad he missed that dunk. I look back, I helped him up and just kind of… that was like my tip of the hat to him. The kid is really, really special and you’ve got to give credit where credit is due.”

Love also gave Morant a shoutout on Twitter.

Morant may not have completed the highlight, but we’ll always have this amazing picture of the moment.

AP Photo/Tony Dejak

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Ja Morant nearly jumped over Kevin Love in jaw-dropping dunk attempt

Ja Morant was *this close* to the dunk of the decade.

In a season devoid of Zion Williamson so far, Ja Morant has picked up the slack as the NBA’s most exciting rookie – and the rising Memphis star came close to what would have been a legendary highlight against the Cavaliers on Friday night.

Just a few minutes into the fourth quarter in Cleveland, Morant grabbed a loose ball just behind the three-point line, took a few strides down an open lane and launched into the air, attempting to throw down a towering tomahawk slam over 6-foot-8 Cavaliers forward Kevin Love, who was established outside of the restricted area to take a charge.

Morant came close to vaulting Love entirely, but get his right leg over Love’s head and failed to finish the dunk.

The officials didn’t call a charge on Morant and let play continue. Even though Morant didn’t complete the hurdle, the attempt was stunning from every angle.

Morant actually pulled off this same play in college.

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Isaiah Thomas likes Ja Morant, Kendrick Nunn for Rookie of the Year

Wizards guard Isaiah Thomas said on Twitter that he likes Ja Morant and Kendrick Nunn as the frontrunners for the award.

Isaiah Thomas has spoken and made his pick for Rookie of the Year.

The Washington Wizards guard said in a Q&A on Twitter Tuesday night that he likes Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant and Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nunn as the frontrunners for the ROY award.

Thomas stopped short of settling on one player to win the award but he instead chose one player from each conference. As it stands now, though, Morant and Nunn are likely the favorites to win.

Morant leads all rookies in scoring average (18.8) and assists (6.5) this season. Nunn is first in points scored (436), first in field goals (174) and first in 3-pointers since he has played six more games than Morant.

Without Zion Williamson this season, the rookie class has missed some star power but Morant has done his part to electrify the NBA after an incredible start.

As for Thomas, the two-time NBA All-Star is averaging 13.2 points and 5.1 assists in 18 games for the Wizards. Thomas recently missed five games due to a calf injury but scored a season-high 23 points in his return on Monday.

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Rookie Wire Power Rankings: Morant, Nunn maintain lead in Week 8

Rookie Wire takes a look at the top rookies through the eighth week of the 2019-20 NBA season.

As the NBA has crossed over the quarter-mark of the 2019-20 season, several first-year players have been hit with injuries and are expected to miss some time for their respective clubs.

Of course, others have already dealt with injuries this season but have recovered and have continued to stay productive after missing some game action.

Perhaps the biggest adjustment rookies face each year is the longer NBA schedule. In college, most players appear in less than 40 games but that number will rise up to 82 in the NBA so that should be something to monitor over the course of the next month or so.

Rookie Wire will compile the rankings of the five best players each week based on how they performed on the court. The rankings are not for Rookie of the Year purposes but, rather, to illustrate the top-performing players.

Here are the Rookie Wire Power Rankings for Week 8:

All stats are through games played on Dec. 17

5. Eric Paschall, Warriors

Stats: 16.1 points, 5 rebounds, 1.7 assists

Rank Last Week: 3

Speaking of injuries, Paschall recently missed two games for the Golden State Warriors after dealing with hip soreness. The second-round pick is set to return on Wednesday but he will be tasked with getting back on track. Prior to missing time, Paschall tallied just 10 points over his last two games combined, shooting just 25% (4-of-16) from the field. That stretch was easily his worst of the season after recently scoring in double figures in 13 straight games.

4. De’Andre Hunter, Hawks

Stats: 12.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2 assists

Rank Last Week: 5

Hunter has been up and down since scoring a career-high 28 points on Dec. 10 but he is averaging 13.5 points over his last four games for the Hawks. The fourth overall pick is coming off of a 19-point performance Tuesday night in a blowout loss to the New York Knicks while he hauled in five rebounds and dished out four assists. Hunter has struggled with his shot selection this season, often forcing looks or taking shots out of his range, but with the Hawks losers of five straight, that may not be the biggest concern at the moment.

3. Tyler Herro, Heat

Stats: 14.2 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists

Rank Last Week: Honorable Mention

Herro registers his highest ranking of the season this week after posting 16 points and 4.7 rebounds over his last three games for the Heat. After a scoreless performance on Dec. 10 and a seven-point outing on Dec. 13, Herro has combined for 41 points over his last two games, including a 22-point outburst on Monday. The 13th overall pick is fifth in rookie scoring and has been on the shortlist of standouts this season in his class.

2. Kendrick Nunn, Heat

Stats: 16.1 points, 3.6 assists, 2.7 rebounds, 1 steal

Rank Last Week: 2

After recording a career-high 36 points on Dec. 10, Nunn continued his strong play. Nunn is averaging 15.7 points and 4.7 assists over his last three games while he is shooting 43.8% from 3-point range. Perhaps his best highlight of the week came on Friday when he posterized Los Angeles Lakers center JaVale McGee. Nunn adds an aggressive option on offense for the HEat and he has certainly displayed that this season. McGee would likely attest to that, as well.

1. Ja Morant, Grizzlies

Stats: 18.8 points, 6.5 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals

Rank Last Week: 1

Morant has proven to be the most dominant rookie so far this season and has continued to do so even after missing four games recently with back soreness. Since returning on Dec. 9, Morant is posting 20.8 points, 4.5 assists, four rebounds and one steal in four games for the Grizzlies. During that span, Morant even threw down perhaps the dunk of the year after posterizing Aron Baynes. He is coming off of a 20-point performance against the Heat on Monday as he helped the Grizzlies avoid an epic collapse after Miami erased a 17-point deficit.

Honorable Mention:

Rui Hachimura, Wizards: 13.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists

Hachimura will miss the next five games for the Wizards after suffering a groin contusion on Monday when he was inadvertently kicked by a teammate. The injury will put a hold on what was a productive month of December for the ninth overall pick. In eight games, Hachimura is averaging 17.3 points and 6.6 rebounds while he is shooting 49.1% from the field. Hachimura will be re-evaluated after Christmas and could be done until after the new year.

On the Rise:

Brandon Clarke, Grizzlies

Clarke has been on a tear since returning from a four-game absence with an oblique injury. The first-round pick is averaging 18 points over his last three games, the most by a rookie over that span. He is shooting 72.4% from the field and 75% from 3-point range. Clarke is fourth in the NBA in field-goal percentage and has been among the biggest steals of the NBA Draft.

R.J. Barrett, Knicks

After dropping out of the rankings last week, Barrett returns after a career night on Tuesday when he recorded 27 points in a blowout win over the Atlanta Hawks. Barrett has battled through consistency issues this season but he showed off his overall game against the Hawks as the Knicks have suddenly won three of four.

Kevin Porter Jr., Cavaliers

Porter recently recorded a career-high 24 points against James Harden and the Houston Rockets on Dec. 11 and is averaging 13.3 points over his last four games. Porter has had an up and down campaign to this point but appears to be settling in for the Cavaliers.

Shout Out:

Admiral Schofield, Wizards

The second-round pick recently turned in his best stretch of the season for the Wizards after recording 23 points over his last two games in 20 minutes. Whether in the G League or NBA, Schofield has a knack for making the most of his time on the court.

P.J. Washington, Hornets

Like Hachimura, Washington recently suffered an injury that will keep him out for five games with a fractured finger. Washington has had a productive month of December, including back-to-back 13-point performances before suffering his injury.

Week 3 Power Rankings | Week 4 Power Rankings | Week 5 Power Rankings | Week 6 Power Rankings | Week 7 Power Rankings

Ja Morant helps Grizzlies avoid meltdown, scores 20 in win vs. Heat

The second overall pick recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 assists as the Grizzlies defeated the Heat.

Ja Morant recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 assists to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 118-111 win over the Miami Heat on Monday night for their 10th win of the season.

The Grizzlies jumped on the Heat early, leading by as many as 17 points in the second quarter. Morant recorded seven points and dished out nine of his 10 assists in the first half as the Grizzlies led 73-58 at the intermission.

Led by Jimmy Butler, the Heat eventually took a one-point lead with just under six minutes to go in the fourth quarter as the four-time NBA All-Star scored 11 of his 25 points in the period.

After the Heat went ahead, Morant helped kick off an 11-0 run by the Grizzlies to re-take the lead and hold on for the win. The second overall pick finished 9-of-14 from the field, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range.

Tyler Herro scored 22 points and five rebounds for the Heat while Kendrick Nunn added 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field as Miami has now lost two out of their last three games.

Following the win on Monday night, the Grizzlies improved to 4-1 over their last five games with their lone loss in that span coming against the Milwaukee Bucks as Morant sat for injury maintenance.

Next up for the Grizz: A road contest at OKC on Wednesday.

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