“How is Ja Morant leading the league in points in the paint as a guard?!”: Grizzlies superstar trumps Giannis and Nikola Jokic as the leading scorer in the paint in the NBA

Ja Morant is averaging more points in the paint this 2021-22 NBA season than anybody else in the league, including big-men. 

Ja Morant has been beyond spectacular to start the 2021-22 NBA season off. He’s most certainly been making his case for being, not just an All-Star, but a starter in the All-Star Game as he’s been leading the Memphis Grizzlies to a slightly above average record of 8-8 with 16 games down the hatchet. 

In those 16 games, he’s averaging 25.1 points, dishing out 7 assists, and grabbing 5.9 rebounds a night, all while shooting a nearly 50% from the field. His 3P% is also significantly up from previous seasons as he’s shooting a solid 36.8% from downtown.

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However, the stat that has NBA fans and analysts alike clamoring on about Ja Morant is the fact that he is currently leading all players; bigs and guards; starters and bench players, in points averaged in the paint per game. 

Ja Morant and his incredible scoring in the paint. 

Ja Morant is averaging a whopping 15 points in the paint, which is 60% of all points he’s scoring on average. This trumps the likes of Giannis and Jokic, the reigning Finals MVP and regular season MVP, respectively. 

To show just how much he has improved from last season to this one; last season, Morant was 23rd in the league in points in the paint, with Zion Williamson snagging that number 1 spot.

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With the way Ja Morant plays however, it isn’t a surprise that he is able to string together as many points as he does while in the paint. Everything from his relentless explosiveness to the rim to him knowing angles on the board for nifty finishes; the Grizzlies superstar has it all in his bag in merely his 3rd season in the NBA.