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“It’s pretty obvious that Ja Morant is the 2022 MVP”: Soaked Taylor Jenkins dismisses Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic as MVP frontrunners after Grizzlies guard scores 52

Samir Mehdi
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“It’s pretty obvious that Ja Morant is the 2022 MVP”: Soaked Taylor Jenkins dismisses Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic as MVP frontrunners after Grizzlies guard scores 52

Taylor Jenkins vouches for his guy, Ja Morant, to win league MVP this season over guys like Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis. 

Ja Morant plays the game in a way that we’ve never seen anyone do before him. Sure, explosive point guards aren’t anything new. Extremely rare, but not new as pre-injury Derrick Rose, 2010s Russell Westbrook, Baron Davis, amongst others, have had this style of play attached them. 

However, what Morant is doing in terms of relentlessly attacking the rim and actually converting over guys that might have a foot over him is absolutely incredible. He averages 20.6 drives a game and puts up a league leading 16.8 points a game in the paint, ahead of guys like Giannis and LeBron James.

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Moreover, with him getting better from beyond the arc this season, shooting a career high 34% from distance, guarding him has become nearly impossible. 

This is exactly what happened tonight as Ja Morant dropped not only a career-high in regular season points, but a franchise high as well. 

Ja Morant has his head coach, Taylor Jenkin’s, vote of confidence for league MVP. 

After scoring 52 points in a blowout win over the San Antonio Spurs at home, the Memphis Grizzlies celebrated hard in their locker room, according to Drew Hill, music could be heard coming from the locker room and when head coach. Taylor Jenkins, came out for his postgame presser, he was soaked. 

The partying and celebrations didn’t stop Jenkins from going all in on his All-Star point guard, claiming Ja Morant is the outright MVP this 2022 NBA season.

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There certainly is a case for Ja Morant to be league MVP just as there is a case for DeMar DeRozan to be the MVP. The narrative this far into the season has become engulfed in the Embiid, Jokic, and Giannis hype and rightfully so. 

However, with those 3 superstar big-men getting every last drop of the attention for league MVP, it’s extremely difficult to break through that. 

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

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Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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