Ja Morant had a chance to make a statement on the opening night of the NBA season.
The former No. 2 overall pick was facing the guy who went before him in his draft, Zion Williamson.
And on this night, Morant made every statement he could’ve wanted.
For one, the Memphis Grizzlies won the game for Morant over Williamson’s New Orleans Pelicans.
And maybe more notably, Morant made some pretty exclusive NBA history, joining a club that also includes Michael Jordan.
Morant scored 35 points on 13-for-20 shooting for the win.
He’s the third player to have three season-opening games in his career with 35-plus points and two or fewer turnovers, according to @JayHayKid.
MJ was one of the two others.
The other? Kiki Vandeweghe, who certainly knew how to get buckets.
Morant had also done this at the start of the 2020-21 season and the 2021-22 season.
After a few injury-heavy years and some struggles on the court, Morant looks to be his best self out of the gates this season.
The Grizzlies are dealing with some serious injuries to start the year. Scotty Pippen Jr., Ty Jerome, Brandon Clarke, Vince Williams and Zach Edey are all out.
That puts the spotlight even heavier on Morant, and he’s delivering so far. Based on how this has gone, it’ll be fun to see what Morant might do next.
Be the first to comment