NBA Draft 2019: The 5 Prospects Who Will Have The Most Successful Careers
By Chris Kern
Ja Morant
Ja Morant had an amazing sophomore season at Murray State and he showed all the tools needed to become a top point guard in the NBA. Some will question how good he truly is since he played in the Ohio Valley Conference, but he still went up against some very good teams such as Belmont and Marquette.
He and Zion Williamson took over the basketball world over the past year with all of their highlight plays and they’ve both shown that they’re complete basketball players. Morant was in a lesser role during his freshman season, but he completely took it to another level this past season as he led the Racers back to the NCAA Tournament.
In 33 games, he averaged 24.5 points, 10 assists, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game on 50% shooting including 36% from three-point range. He is able to impact the game in so many ways and he’s a legit triple-double type player at the next level.
He has received some comparisons to Russell Westbrook and he has a chance to become that type of player. The way he makes plays for both himself and others is truly elite. They both are below average defenders, but they’re both capable of making big plays on that end of the floor when needed.
The way Morant attacked the basket this past season is very reminiscent of Westbrook as well. He does an amazing job finishing through contact which is something he will need to continue to be able to do at the next level against stronger and more physical players. He was an 81% free-throw shooter in college which will serve him well with how often he gets to the line.
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His shooting is thought of as potentially a concern, but being just an average shooter will be enough for him since he is elite in so many other ways. If he can continue to grow as a player he has a chance to be a true franchise superstar who can lead his team deep into the playoffs. I don’t think he’ll ever be MVP good, but I think him becoming close to as good as Westbrook is a possibility. All five of these players are going to be good, but Ja Morant is going to be the best.