Ja Morant has made a stupendous year 3 leap, and JJ Redick views him among the Brandon Ingram variety of MIP winners.
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Everyone knew Morant was going to be a problem from his first minute on an NBA floor. This was a guard with stupendous, jaw-dropping athleticism and the morale to keep going full steam all game long.
Morant had proved during his NCAA run with Murray State that he’s capable of carrying teams against the best. And he’s continued in the same vein through to his 3rd NBA season now. The results of his work ethic are apparent in the results he’s getting this year.
The 23-year-old is shooting pull-up jumpers from all 3 ranges and making them this year. His handles have gotten tighter, he’s cut out some errors in his decision-making and he’s taking better care of the ball than ever.
He’s always been a fundamentally sound player, but there’s a hitherto unseen degree of assuredness to his moves now. It’s clear that Morant is now playing on auto-pilot. He’s mastered the fundamentals well enough to forget them and constantly improvise on them during games.
JJ Redick heaps praise on Ja Morant, tips him to win Most Improved Player this year
JJ Redick has become an esteemed talking head in the basketball sportscasting space over the past 5 years. His podcast is arguably the best collection of player-to-player interactions we’ve seen on a consistent basis.
In addition, the 15-year NBA veteran brings a wealth of untold stories from inside the league to the spotlight. This results in basketball fans having a pretty rad time listening to his podcasts and interviews.
The former Magic and Sixers guard is pretty high on Ja Morant and his play this season – just like us. Redick believes that the leap that Temetrius’s made puts him in the drivers’ seat for Most Improved Player honors:
“I don’t think enough people are talking about him (Ja Morant). He is maybe my favorite player right now – another amazing performance last night. He’s 7th in the league in scoring and 9th in assists (prior to tonight’s game).”
“He’s made the leap from borderline All-Star to All-NBA player. That’s a big leap for an year 3 player. One of the things that’s so fascinating to me is the fearlessness, but also the improvement from the 3-point line.”
