Grizzlies: 4 players unjustly ranked higher than Ja Morant on 'Next Gen' list
Be it among the faithful followers of the Memphis Grizzlies organization or any other sports fandom, there will eternally be debate as to how players should be measured against one another and theoretically ranked according to predetermined values and metrics to highlight their value.
With the 2024 postseason gradually inching closer to an end, The Ringer has released a power ranking of top talents in the league under the age of 25, which naturally includes controversial and confusing rankings of certain players.
The list, which primarily ranks players based on foundational qualities, current and future performance potential, intangibles, and marketability, has a rather bizarre structure to it.
On this list, star point guard Ja Morant finds himself in the 10 slot after a rather uneventful season that saw a mix of injuries and disjointedness completely derail the Grizzlies from their preseason hopes.
Despite the lack of success this season, it would seem a stretch to put Morant all the way down in the tenth slot overall, as the young stud has found a level of success even at a young age that clearly stands out among his peers, yet analysts making measurements based on certain metrics seem to disagree.
While the NBA is loaded from top to bottom with talent, there has been a noticeable surge in recent years of younger players establishing dominance over the old guard, who find themselves facing an ever growing horde of talented newer players who seem to be ever evolving and picking up newer skills and moves.
Grizzlies star Ja Morant unjustly ranked 10 on 'Next Gen' list
With all of that being said, Morant still stands out among his young peers and the idea of him being ranked tenth is laughable. While his most recent season leaves a lot to be desired considering he was held to just nine games played, there are still plenty of reasons to stay hopeful about the star point guard, and even more reasons to rank him higher than where he currently is.
Along with an obvious trend of recency bias in the rankings, several of the picks who were ranked higher than Morant will undoubtedly raise some questions, and several eyebrows and will puzzle readers who have watched Grizzlies basketball and understand Morant's position and potential.
In particular, there were four names who, though certainly promising, should by no means be slotted in ahead of the Grizzlies cornerstone.