Analyst Skip Bayless reasons why he would select New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson over Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant.
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Zion Williamson and Ja Morant are two of the best young talents the league has to offer. Both these prodigies have proven their worth to the teams that drafted them back in 2019. And without a doubt, despite being 21-years-old and 22-years-old, respectively, are already among the best players in the NBA, who will surely go down as the future faces of the association.
While Ja defeated Zion to win the 2020 Rookie of the Year award, it was Zion (27 points and 7.2 rebounds) who had an individually more successful second season. And entering their third campaign, “Zanos” has been sidelined with a foot injury, and has yet to play NBA basketball since May 2021. However, on the other hand, Morant has simply been exceptional to start this young campaign, averaging 30.4 points, 7.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds in five games.
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Recently, Skip Bayless revealed he would be selecting the Pels forward over the Grizzlies highflyer if he had to select between the two. On his episode of “UNDISPUTED”, Bayless told Shannon Sharpe:
“I love Ja Morant. The only reason I said I’ll take Zion is on sheer girth ability. He is so big and so athletic and so powerful and so explosive, I’ve never seen a thing like Zion. Just on pound-for-pound, inch-for-inch, I’m gonna take the bigger player, if he can stay healthy.”
Skip Bayless explains why he would not select Ja Morant over Zion Williamson
Skip further went on to talk about Ja’s poor jumper and how it has barely progressed from its rookie season, as one of the biggest reasons to not select the 6-foot-3 guard over the Pels beast.
“If we’re talking simply durability over ability, well then obviously you got me. If we’re on a tethering path towards injury hell, where he’s just never gonna be right, you obviously got me. Because there is nothing not to like about Ja. Except that I told you, I watched him closely at Murray State – he was not a very good 3-point shooter and in this league, you need to be better than he was in college because that line is quite a bit closer. He stayed 2 years at Murray State and he shot 31% the first year and 36% the second year.
So to your point, he got a little better but then once he ran into his second year at the NCAA, ran into Florida State in the second round and he shot 3-15 and they got blown off the floor by a much longer, stronger, talented team.
And what do we give Ja? He’s listed 6’3″ maybe 6’2″ and yet here’s the great irony of Ja’s game – inch-for-inch, I think he’s the greatest leader in pro basketball. I’m talking about inch-for-inch. Can he rise?! I’ve never seen anything quite like it. But guess what the irony is – he does not have a jump shot, because most guys jump and shoot. Steph Curry jumps and shoots. He has worked hard on a Magic Johnson memorial set shoot. Well, Magic had it at 6’9″, cause Magic had no jump shot. Well, neither does Ja.
But here’s the thing, you say he’s improved every year. Except for last year, that’s wrong. He did not improve his second year in the NBA because if I look at these numbers last year from the field he was 45%. That’s horrible. That was his career-low.
And then from 3 last year, in the NBA, playing the whole year he shot 30% from 3. It won’t work. His free throws fell to 73%. For a point guard, that will not work.”
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