Ja Morant is having a great season. Morant has led his team to the second-best record in the NBA and they have surpassed 50 wins for the first time in three years. With seven games remaining, Memphis has the chance to set a franchise record for regular season wins. The second seed in the Western Conference playoffs is likely to be the Memphis Grizzles. Morant should win the Most Improved Player of the Year. Morant's points per game average has increased by more than eight. He averaged 19.1ppg last season and is up to 28.6ppg this year. Although he only played in 56 games, I don't think that matters as much as it does in theMVP discussion. Ja will receive some consideration in the discussion. He has been compared to Philadelphia 76ers legend and Hall of Famer Allen Iverson. It's a great honor for any player to be compared to an icon like Iverson, who doesn't get enough credit for his contribution to the NBA. Whenever we hear about players that influenced the game of basketball, it is usually Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, etc. In the late 1990s, Iverson impacted courts across America. The carry-crossover he made famous was in the gym and on the playground. Jordan was made a man by the work that Iverson did for him. Early AI was more than just a single event. He wasn't afraid to go into the land of the trees because he had springs in his legs.
The same qualities that made Allen Iverson one of the biggest stars in the league can be found in Morant. He has been called a taller version of Iverson. Their styles are very similar. Morant is a little taller than Iverson, but they are both considerably smaller than the top players of their day. According to nba.com, none of the top five candidates are shorter than 6 feet 8 inches. Ja is not as large at 6. He is currently sixth in the race.
Ja's numbers have gone up across the board, except for assists, in the third year of his career. One less assist per game can be forgiven if a player scores at a high rate. He improved his three-point percentage from 30 percent to 34 percent. Some of Morant's moves and mannerisms are similar to that of Iverson. Morant's ball handling, finishing at the rim, and overall explosiveness remind people of Iverson.
The Answer improved greatly in his third year in the NBA, but not as much as Morant. From year two to three, Iverson's points per capita increased by nearly four, but his field goal and three-point percentages decreased. The 1998-99 season was shortened by the lockout, so it was only a 50-game schedule, of which Iverson played in 48. In his first three years as a pro, he only missed 10 games. By his fifth year in the NBA, Iverson was a league Most Valuable Player and led the Philadelphia 76ers to their first NBA Finals appearance since 1983.
Ja has a lot of work to do, but his trajectory is looking great through almost three full seasons. In his third year, Morant has the Memphis Grizzlies in the playoffs. He finished in the top five of the voting for the Most Valuable Player. Morant missed a few games towards the end of the season, but he could still match Iverson there. His body of work has been very good, so there is still an outside chance.
The young star is on a path to an award. It is a matter of when. Morant has an NBA title in his sight as he knows that it is what it is all about. The individual accolades are impressive, but the star players who leave the game without a ring tend to get lost in the shuffle years later. Morant is 23 years old and seems to know this already. You can be a one-man show, but it takes a great team to win titles and help a superstar leave a greater legacy.
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