Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant reminds Shaq of a young Kobe Bryant

The Memphis Grizzlies came away with a big bounceback win against a shorthanded Chicago Bulls team. In the process of stamping another W in the win column, the Inside the NBA crew discussed the rise of the Grizzlies along with their young superstar, Ja Morant. Shaquille O’Neal had high praise for the third-year guard saying, “Ja Morant knows he’s a star. He reminds me of a young Kobe Bryant.”

Morant who has ascended into superstardom led the Grizzlies to victory on Monday night with 25 points and four assists on 53 percent shooting from the field. The comparison to the late-great Kobe Bryant doesn’t necessarily come from his playstyle.

Ja Morant shares that Mamba Mentality

If anything Morant plays an entirely different way than Bryant. Ja uses his athleticism as his primary source for offense and scores the majority of his points in the paint. Although Kobe was incredibly athletic, he didn’t rely on it to be successful, instead, he used it as a tool to make him even better.

The Murray State product is stirring himself towards that track with his improving jump shot. However, the comparison comes due to the future All-Star’s demeanour on the court. As Shaq said, Morant knows just how good he is and it’s evident in the way he plays. Not only does he play with a certain swagger to him, but he also plays to a certain standard that he holds himself to. Very reminiscent of what someone who wore purple and gold used to do.

Nobody is comparing Ja Morant to Kobe Bryant the player, but more so the attitude of Bryant. O’Neal who won three consecutive championships with the legendary shooting guard sees the same killer in Morant that he saw in Bryant. The ceiling for this young man doesn’t look like it’s in sight anytime soon and NBA legends like Shaq only confirm that.