Why it’s impossible to crown Ja Morant best NBA player under 25

Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant has been recognized as the best player in the NBA under the age of 25 in FanSided’s annual list of the top young talent in the league. With a list of accolades and accomplishments already a mile long, there’s a strong argument to be made that the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft should absolutely be in the discussion for the top spot in this ranking.

However, it’s difficult to make Morant the top choice without having a clear consensus on what “best” actually means. The were only two real parameters used for this exercise, which were to 1) look at all NBA players who are 24 years old or younger as of Feb. 1, 2023 and 2) assign a value between 1-10 based on how valuable each player is expected to be in the upcoming season. This was done intentionally, according to the parameters used for the voting.

Ja Morant may not be best NBA player under 25 on the Memphis Grizzlies

But, “valuable” could mean something different to each person. Is it who gives you the most production on the court for the least amount of money? That might be another Grizzlies player, Desmond Bane, who is set to make $2.1 million next season despite his near 20 ppg average last season and carving out a reputation as one of the best shooters in the NBA.

Might it be who many to consider the most talented all-around player? That, many would say, could be Luka Doncic— the betting favorite to win NBA MVP this season.

Or is it the player who’s taken his team the furthest? That might be Jayson Tatum, who carried the Celtics all the way to the NBA Finals last season.

Maybe it’s the most talented player who has yet to be named an All-Star. Anthony Edwards? Deandre Ayton? Tyrese Haliburton? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?

You get the point. It could be any NBA player. But, if you look at this year’s NBA GM survey, it’s clear who most of the league’s general managers prefer among young players and that’s Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks. As our friends at The Smoking Cuban pointed out, Doncic topped the 2020 and 2021 iterations of FanSided’s annual list.

Perhaps these voters were conflating excitement with “best.” If this annual FanSided list was to determine who the most exciting player under 25 is in the NBA, Ja Morant would unquestionably be the top pick. However, his bad luck with injuries and inconsistency shooting the ball would seemingly hold him back from topping this list ahead of Trae Young, Tatum and/or Doncic.

Without clear voting guidelines and a few players who have better stats or have advanced their teams further into the playoffs, it’s impossible to crown Morant the best NBA player under the age of 25.