Memphis Grizzlies rookie point guard Ja Morant has put people on notice with his play this year and is most likely going to be holding the NBA’s rookie of the year trophy come to the end of the season. So far during Morant’s rookie campaign, he is averaging 17.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 7 assists per game. Since returning from injury, Morant has lifted the Grizzlies and made them one of the hottest teams in the NBA, giving them a chance to fight for a possible 8 seed in the Western Conference.

Almost 2 weeks ago on ESPN’s morning television show, “Get Up,” Seth Greenberg went on the show and said that Morant is going to be the Patrick Mahomes of the NBA. At first, this statement sounds absurd because of the dominance that Patrick Mahomes has shown since becoming a starter in the NFL.

But when really diving into the statement from Greenberg, this kind of makes sense.

The Walking Highlight Real

The first similarity between the two is the fact that they are both walking highlight reels. When watching Mahomes or Morant, you know that at any second of the game either player can make a play that makes you wonder to yourself how they did that. Since Mahomes became a starter in the NFL, he has a ton no-look passes, 60-yard touchdown passes, as well as throws with his left hand.

Like Mahomes, Morant is also known to make a ton of highlight plays and he can do it in many ways. His athletic ability and how he uses his athleticism is the first thing you notice when watching him play. The way he can rise up and finish around the rim is a huge source of his highlight plays. Morant dunking on a big man almost seems like a regular sight when watching him fly down the lane.

Another key source of his highlights is the flashy passes he makes. He almost looks like a wizard with the ball when finding Jaren Jackson Jr. in transition or off a screen and roll. The vision that Morant has is like one of an NBA Veteran, rarely do you see a rookie point guard come in the league and average 7 assists from the start of his career.

Ja Morant with an INSANE mid-air assist 😱 pic.twitter.com/1eBnEyydOq — ClutchPoints NBA (@ClutchPointsNBA) January 30, 2020

The Importance of their Positions

When watching football, the most noticeable position on the field is the quarterback, because he has the ball in his hands every play. This creates the most opportunities to create highlight plays. Without a good quarterback, you are severely lowering your chances of winning a Super Bowl.

Because Ja Morant is a point guard, he is essentially the quarterback of the Grizzlies, the most noticeable guy on the court because he is constantly dribbling, scoring, and creating offense for other players. The importance of the point guard position is also very valuable for championship teams, just like the quarterback is for football. The last three point guards to win an NBA championship are Kyle Lowry, Stephen Curry, and Kyrie Irving. Between those three players, they have combined 17 all-star games and were all major parts to the structure of their championship teams. With the early success that Ja Morant has had in the league, one can only think that he also could possibly be a multi-time all-star and the backbone of a championship team.

Landed in Good Situations

For many players entering a draft, a crucial part in whether or not they are good or not is based on the situation they are drafted in. Both Ja Morant and Patrick Mahomes both had the luxury of being drafted into incredible situations and organizations.

Patrick Mahomes was given one of the NFL’s top coaches in Andy Reid as well as some of the league’s fastest weapons who perfectly complement the incredible strength of his arm. The organization he was drafted into also had a culture of winning leftover from the previous quarterback, Alex Smith.

Ja Morant was drafted into a very similar situation to Patrick Mahomes. Before drafting Morant with the second pick of the 2019 NBA draft, the Grizzlies had a previous reputation similar to the Chiefs in being a good regular season team, but not being good enough to reach the level of being a championship team. Both teams drafted these players in order to elevate them from a viable playoff team to a contending team. Also, Morant was tagged along with another young star Jaren Jackson Jr., a big man who he can grow and learn with.

Early Success

The success that Mahomes had when taking over the starter role from Alex Smith was evident, as he went on to win MVP and lead his team to the AFC title game, a loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. Although this was not his rookie season, his instant success in the league brought a buzz to him that makes people text their friends and see if they just saw that pass he made. His success is noticeable, and Morant is the same way.

In a recent big game against James Harden and the Houston Rocket, Morant went right at James Harden and had a huge day with 28 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and hit many clutch shots as the Grizzlies beat the Rockets 121-110. This put Morant on even more notice then he already was on. Despite the success that Morant has had, it is still very early and a lot could change, but he has shown that he could be a superstar in the NBA.