Former Knicks guard snubs Ja Morant on his list of top 5 PGs in NBA
Despite missing most of last season with injury, Ja Morant showed he's still one of the top point guards in the NBA. In nine games last season, Morant posted 25.1 points, 8.1 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game, shooting 47.1% from the field.
While many consider him one of the top-five point guards in the NBA, former New York Knicks guard Austin Rivers felt differently when making his list of top five point guards.
"If we start talking about who's the best point guards in the NBA, our top five candidates would be: Number one would be [Luka Doncic], two would be [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander], three would be [Jalen Brunson], four would be [Steph Curry] still, even with his age he's still an elite player as we saw in the Olympics. Five would probably be [Tyrese Haliburton]," Rivers stated.
"The question I ask is, as Ja Morant comes back does he enter back in that conversation? Because, before all the injuries and all the stuff that happened with him, he was a top-five point guard in the NBA."
While Rivers has a point, it's hard to say what post-injury Ja Morant's numbers will look like. Before to his injury, Morant was undoubtedly one of the best point guards in the NBA, leading the Memphis Grizzlies to a 56-26 record in 2021-22 and a 51-31 record in 2022-23.
Without Morant, Memphis struggled last season posting a record of just 27-55. Memphis' record attests to his argument as a top-five point guard in the NBA given his immense impact on the Grizzlies.
Ja Morant releases viral Instagram post ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season
Morant is slated to return to the Memphis Grizzlies fully healthy for the 2024-25 NBA season, putting them back in the conversation for one of the top teams in the Western Conference.
On Wednesday, Morant posted a workout video to get fans excited for his return this season. The post quickly went viral, accumulating over 400,000 views and over 90,000 likes on Instagram.
With Ja Morant fully healthy, the Grizzlies will look to reestablish themselves as contenders in the West, alongside Jarren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane and 2024 seventh-overall pick Zach Edey.