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With 54.2 seconds remaining on the NBA's signature time clock, Ja Morant squares up against Steph Curry near the arc, opens his shoulders for a quick hesitation, then leans left and drives into Curry. By doing so, he creates just enough space near the paint to push off for a precise floater. The scorecard now reads 112-109 in the Memphis Grizzlies' favor.
Ja Morant again has possession. Only 14.1 seconds remain on the clock. The scorecard has, by all means, been frozen at 112-109 for 40-odd-seconds. Ja faces a much bigger and stronger Juan Toscano-Anderson near the logo. He goes left and dribbles the ball under his legs twice to straighten up, essentially lowering his center of gravity and pointing straight towards the ring.
From this position, Ja can either go left for a corner jumper, drive to the bucket for a rim finish, or feed the ball to the open Dilon Brooks or Kyle Anderson for a three-pointer attempt. Instead, he decides to drive to the basket at full speed, anchors his right foot, spins and hits another precise floater.
These two consecutive clutch shots by Ja Morant eliminated the Golden State Warriors from the 2021 play-in tournament and cemented Memphis's place in the playoffs. They would of course be knocked out of the tournament by the Utah Jazz, but that's not the point. Not yet, at least.
The reason for describing these two plays from the May 22nd game is to show Ja Morant's ability to stay calm and confident in high stakes situations, and make tough shots that count.
Five things Ja Morant needs to do to become a top five player in the current NBA league
For some strange reason, whenever an exceptional player comes into the league, fans and analysts alike cannot help but compare him with veterans or legends. Ja Morant also suffers from the same fate.
"Ja Morant is a young Westbrook. He is a taller Allen Iverson. He is a prime Derrick Rose."
Well, he is a Ja Morant that is continuously working and growing to become a better himself than anybody else. We believe that comparing Ja with a veteran or legend would be disrespectful to both. Instead, he should only be compared to himself and all that he can be in the young star's promising future.
All that being said, there is no denying from any party that Morant is exceptional. Exceptional enough to win the Rookie of the year award. Exceptional enough that fans can't help but associate his electrifying plays with their favorites.
But just how good is Ja Morant? Is he good enough to be the MVP next year? No, that might be taking speculation and expectations too far. Is he among the top 5 current players in the league? No, definitely not! Can he be one of the top 5 players in the 2021-22 season? Yes, certainly!
There is a lot to admire about Morant's high-energy plays but at the same time there are enough regions of his game that need to be worked upon. For obvious reasons, other brilliant players in the league too acknowledge the potential greatness of the player who is the center of our argument. Even Kyrie crowned him with the title of Young King.
Young being the word to notice here. If Morant wants to be a top 5 player, he needs to acknowledge his weaknesses and as far as we know, Morant doesn't shy away from criticism. On the contrary, he welcomes it.
So today, we will seek to point out 5 things Ja Morant must do to be a top 5 player in the 2021-22 NBA season.
#1 Improve his two-point shooting
Ja Morant has been an unreliable shooter until now. His ability to score far from the basket is erratic and often comes with bursts of accuracy followed by stretches where he can't even land an open two-point jumper.
It is understandable that with his explosiveness and speed, he prefers to attack the rim. Who wouldn't dunk or jelly around players if they could. That's what all the great highlight reels are made of. But greatness is not defined by highlight reels or dunks. Greatness is defined by consistent and decisive plays.
Morant needs to work on him jump shot inside the arc for more than one reason. He is not a terrible shooter but he certainly needs to work on his two-point shooting. Ja Morant, who in the 2020-21 season attempted an average of 5.4 shots from the restricted area, had a 60.4% RA conversion rate.
In comparison, he attempted 4.7 shots from the non-restricted paint area and 0.9 shots from mid-range. Ja Morant's conversion rate was 38.2% and 42.9% from the two regions respectively. However, if you convert the made shots from non-restricted paint area and mid-range to points, it only amounts to 3.6 and 0.8 points respectively.
These numbers are underwhelming. In addition, he only had 0.1 2-point catch-and-shoot attempts per game. Morant desperately needs to up his attempts. If he doesn't, he will only limit himself and become predictable in the longer run.
#2 Improve free throw Percentage
Free throws are a bonus scoring move in the NBA. They are unstoppable, meaning no one can block them. They do not register on the clock, meaning you score points without spending any time, a great tactical weapon in bridging score gaps with limited time. They can easily be turned into three or four-point plays depending on the region the shot was attempted from.
Ja Morant averaged 72.8% free throws made in the 2020-21 regular season. Again, these are not bad numbers but they are certainly not praise worthy numbers. In contrast, James Harden averaged 86.1% and Chris Paul averaged 93.4% free throws in the same regular season.
Morant should train to increase his free throw percentage. If he can take it to over 80%, he'll blossom into an even better scorer than he already has been in his two seasons.
Also check out: Who is James Harden's girlfriend, Jessyka Janshel?
#3 Improve three-point shooting
Ja Morant must accept and acknowledge how the league has evolved in the past decade. We have moved into an era where three-pointers are an essential weapon for a key player. Without efficient three-point shooting players, every team is incomplete.
In the 2020-21 NBA season, Morant attempted an average of 3.8 three-pointers per game and converted only 1.2 of them. The importance of this stat lies in realizing that the conversion rate of his 3-pointers is decent at 30.3%. It's the meager attempts per-game that are worrying. The stats highlight perhaps a fear of ranged shot in Morant or maybe it is an aversion. Whichever the case, this is one area that demands urgent attention from Ja Morant and Taylor Jenkins.
As a small point-guard, it is imperative that he develops his shooting from the arc. Without this shot, it will be far more difficult for Ja to progress into one of the top 5 players in the league.
#4 Gain muscle mass
Ja is, in the context of the NBA, a small player. Standing at 6' 3", the Memphis Grizzlies point guard weighed in at just 174 lbs. For a player who loves to contest in restricted areas, Ja Morant is undersized and weak.
The bucket is guarded by bigger and stronger players like Zion Williamson and Ayton. Players that can cause serious damage to an uninitiated body. Ja Morant drives to the restricted area 5.1 times every game, that's 5.1 times he can collide with a big man and get hurt. Also, it is not only the idea of injury that should be considered but also the probability of profitable finishing.
By building his body and strength, the Grizzlies guard will find himself capable of contesting with bigger players with less probability of injuries and a higher chance of scoring.
#5 Improve his defense
This is the most obvious argument on the list. Many sources have already pointed out the flaws in Ja Morant's defense. Some even claim that he doesn't commit to D and is a liability while protecting the bucket.
We do not believe or claim any of that. We do not believe he is a liability on the defensive end. He is a great playmaker and therefore he can read offensive plays, cut passing lines, and generate turn overs and fastbreaks.
The elements of his defense that need work are - 1. how he performs during switches and 2. how he defends against isolation plays.
Ja Morant gets visibly dazed after every well executed screen or switch by the opposing team. He takes time to regain his bearings and can very rarely follow through or make efficient defensive judgements.
In isolation plays, players like to draw Ja Morant out to the edge of the arc and drive past him. His lockdown defense needs work. Especially considering his size factor. He cannot guard reliably under the paint. Not that his blocks are a fluke, but because he is no match for a big man who welcomes contact under the bucket, his once-in-a-blue moon blocks are of no tactical advantage for his team.
These are the five things Ja Morant must do to pave the path to being a top 5 player in the 2021-22 NBA season.
