ICYMI: Ja Morant shows freakish athleticism to complete the possible dunk of the year on Jakob Poeltl
Ja Morant displayed yet another show of his brilliance after he emphatically dunked on Jakob Poeltl in the Memphis Grizzlies game against the San Antonio Spurs. The 22- year -old has been a human highlight reel throughout the 2021-22 season. However, his performance against the Spurs was truly special.
The dunk on Poeltl came during the second quarter, when the Grizzlies already had a 57-54 lead. Steven Adams passed the ball to Ja Morant and as usual, the youngster entered the paint and bravely went in for a dunk attempt. Poeltl stands at 7 feet 1 and is a reputed shot blocker with 1.8 blocks per game this season. However, Morant's relentless attitude paid off as he got yet another poster dunk to his already brilliant collection.
Ja Morant just had the dunk of the year
Oh my https://t.co/mzgJVlcOKR
Just two minutes after pulling off a contender for the dunk of the year, Morant had another unreal moment. With just 0.4 seconds left to play, Steven Adams threw a i full-court inbound pass to Morant, who caught it in the air and hit a terrific mid-range shot to give the Grizzlies a ten-point lead going into halftime.
There's no words for Ja Morant at this point. Unreal. https://t.co/JgdalqABjB
Ja Morant had himself a career-high of 52 points, where he shot the ball at 73.3 % shooting from the field. He became the first player from the franchise to score 50 points in an NBA game. The youngster is just 22 and already has a reputation for producing unreal plays, which is testament to the great talent that he is.
The Ja Morant Experience 馃惢
52 PTS (new career-high)
22-30 FG
4-4 from three
7 REB https://t.co/2mlWLckg9I
Is Ja Morant one of the most exciting youngsters in the league?
Ja Morant is currently in his third season in the NBA. He has already led the Grizzlies to the playoffs and this season certainly looks to do the same. Since his arrival, the franchise has gained renewed energy and is taking the league by storm.
Morant has been athletic since his rookie season. He has never shied down from any challenge and is not afraid to enter the paint, regardless of the opponent. Ja Morant elevated his game the next level, adding facets like scoring and efficiency to his armory. He is averaging 27.6 PPG on 49.8% shooting from the field. The former rookie of the year has also improved his three-point shooting and averages 34.4% from beyond the arc. All of these numbers are an improvement from last season and show how much he has grown as a player.
Ja was last night's @MichelobULTRA #GrizzPlayerOfTheGame https://t.co/D2tjfX3OG9
During the Grizzlies' playoff series against the Jazz, Morant showed glimpses of what he is capable of in the postseason. This term, the franchise is the third seed in the West with a 43-20 record. They are looking extremely strong and will definitely be a big problem for many in the playoffs.
Ja Morant CASUALLY from 34 feet 馃槼 https://t.co/NbalY9a4lA
Morant has definitely proven his ability to everyone in the league. His performances have won him attention from some of the biggest legends in the game and if he keeps going, Morant is not too far from being the best in the league.