“This kid is box office… In two years he will be the face of the league” – NBA analyst conceives Ja Morant as the MVP for his tenacious mentality, praises his leadership and prodigious scoring ability

Former NBA champion and analyst Kendrick Perkins praised Ja Morant after his opening night performance against the New York Knicks. The Grizzlies look like they could cause problems for many in the West this season.

On "First Take," Perkins said:

"This kid is box office. He's the most exciting ones who watch in the NBA. See, I look at Ja Morant and everything that he does on the offensive end. He can give you 30, he could give you 40, he could give you 50.

"Look, I wanna apologize to Ja Morant because I should have thought about him anyway before I consider him my preseason pick for MVP. Because Ja Morant is not only my MVP candidate for this season since I switched over, but in two years he will be the face of the league."

Memphis Grizzlies v Orlando Magic

Morant had 34 points, four rebounds, nine assists and a block in the overtime win against the Knicks.

If Memphis is looking to become one of the best teams in the NBA, Morant is going to be a big part of that. The former No. 2 pick has improved every season and has averaging 21.3 points and 7.2 assists in his career so far.

Will Ja Morant and the Grizzlies win an NBA title soon?

It's not always about who's the best in the regular season, but who can get hot at the right time. Memphis has the potential to do that with promising young stars Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Brandon Clarke.

Bane has shown tremendous development as he averaged 18.2 points last season. He was great on opening night as well, with 16 points and six assists. On the other hand, Jaren Jackson Jr. is proving to be a solid two-way player for Memphis. He averaged 16.3 points and 2.3 blocks per game last season.

Memphis has an MVP level talent in Morant. He has been incredible for the team and what he was able to do last season just shows that he's going to be a problem in this league for many years. In the 2021-22 season, he averaged 27.4 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.7 rebounds.