Ja Morant

PPG RPG (oRB%/dRB%) APG (TO) AST% (TO%) Blocks (BLK%) Steals (STL%) TS% 3PT% (3Pr) FT% (FTr) FG% (2PTFG%) 24.5 5.7 3.9/12.7 10.0 (5.2) 51.8% (20.5%) .8 (2.3% 1.8 (2.7%) 61.2% 36.3% 81.3% 49.9% (55.6%)

Athleticism / Frame Overview: Shifty and very explosive off of two foot. Doesn’t have a good frame – thin upper body (not broad, either…shoulders are thin) and a thin lower body. Needs time to load up to explode, not great off of one foot, and does not take contact well (unless he has momentum, room to load, or is attacking downhill). Quick in tight spaces, fast in open court.

Mentality Overview: Aggressive on offense when he has the ball (likes keeping the pressure on the defense) but is not much of a factor off ball, unless they’re running an action to get the ball back to him. Laissez-faire on defense…he really does not care (which is frustrating because he is quick, has solid anticipation, and processes things quickly…at least on offense, and shows some flashes on defense). Effort on defense is not there. Will need to be coached up on both sides (forcing passes and shots on offense and defensive effort, technique, and rotations).

Role: Playmaker. He is someone who can be an engine of a team / take over when they need to and keep pressure on defense, but also comfortable hanging back and taking what the defense gives him while picking them apart with his passing (this is preferred, I think). If he is the engine, team needs to be prepared for some bad shots. I believe he is much better when he is able to pick his spots scoring, and focus more on passing/creating for others. Defensively he needs work – get stronger, work on effort, etc. He has the potential to be a disruptor, and might show a bit more if his offensive role is that of a creator more than an attacker, but needs a lot of work on the basics – footwork, effort, etc.

Outcome:

Medium / Realistic Outcome: (Ball dominant) starting PG, with below average defense. I’m personally not a fan of his form and don’t think he will ever be able to pull up quickly off the bounce, which severely limits his effectiveness. I am also not a believer in his long term C&S ability unless he really hones in on his form. Defensively, even if he is good on ball despite his size, his size limits the defensive potential of the team due to lack of defensive versatility.

High End: Playmaking starting point guard with C&S ability, with average defense. In this role, he’s shooting less (which I think benefits his game and his team’s offensive potential). He’d be creating more and would theoretically have the ability to C&S. Defense gets a bump here if his lower USG/scoring ends up improving his effort off ball and he continues his playmaking with steals.

Low End : Below average starter (or change of pace bench PG) with poor defense. If the shot does not improve, if his awareness does not improve, and if his shot stays the same, the only way he succeeds is as a change of pace guard. He has too much athleticism and passing ability to just be out of the league.

Offensive Swing Factor: Shooting ability à C&S and off the bounce, C&S more important for offensive versatility. Also role on offense – needs a lesser role scoring and should be looking to create more plays for others.

Defensive Swing Factor: Awareness and improvements in strength.

Offense

Synergy Profile: Scoring : 76th percentile; Scoring + assists 96th percentile (totals if percentile not available)

Jump Shots C&S Around Basket Dribble J Transition PnR Score PnR Pass Spot Up ISO Cut 60 72 51 66 78 56 57 77 72 88

Jumper: Bad form on his jumper – double elbow flare, lower release, more of a set shot. Because of that, I’d bet against him ever being able to FULLY use his speed to create jumpers for himself (ie, no Westbrook type downhill full speed and stop on dime jumpers, probably not going to be efficient with stepback jumpers or jumpers off multiple dribble sets, etc). Some potential on C&S jumpers just based on what we’ve seen so far and his FT% indicates there is some potential there, but even that I predict will be pretty inconsistent – I look at Dennis Schroder, and neither player has become a great C&S player, though they still need to be defended out there. Morant’s shot pocket looks to be a bit lower than Schroder’s too (should look to raise it), so that could (will?) impact the results there as well. Morant’s speed/athleticism will likely free up more “open” C&S jumpers IF he’s able to play off ball because defenders will likely be wearier of closing out hard out of fear that he will simply drive past them. Also, playing with someone who warrants defensive attention as a driver will also help his shot in the same way Westbrook’s downhill mentality frees up shots for Schroder on the perimeter.

Shot Versatility: Not much shot versatility and not someone who will be running off screens off ball (not sure how comfortable I am with him moving off ball at all, really…unless it’s just a little and he has room/time to set his feet to shoot). Even though 109 of his 181 jumpers were classified as off the dribble jumpers, the vast majority of them were simply him walking into a jumper or him getting his feet set and then pulling, though there were some really nice flashes with shot creation and step back jumpers (nice potential with hang dribble step back J). Something to look out for is how the low release point will be affected by bigger / more athletic players, even on his stepback Js – guys can close on his shot even with the space creation, so I believe he needs a lot of work there before I start to buy it. As mentioned above, he does not have the ability to drive and pull up on a dime to take jumpers, which limits his ceiling a bit in my opinion. When teams go under him in the PnR, he’s comfortable shooting after he gets his feet set. Hit 17/45 C&S jumpers this year, but the results were pretty erratic – 5/19 on “guarded jumpers” and 12/26 on “unguarded jumpers.” I believe this points to his low release point and taking longer to load into his shot pocket and pull. Against bigger and more athletic players, I think he’ll have issues against most closeouts (unless, as mentioned above, if he has someone to drive and kick and draw multiple defenders into the paint).

Shot IQ: Needs some work here, but I wouldn’t say it was entirely on him either – he was Murray State’s primary creator and made the offense go. However, even so, he takes some questionable shots – needs to improve his decision-making with his shot. We’ve seen him take a backseat in games where his shot selection was a lot better, but also games where he tries to take over/does take over and takes some really bad shots along the way. Shot selection was better last year when he shared the backcourt with another creator and another post option. On the plus side, Ja knows his limitations as a scorer and knows that he’s better attacking downhill/creating havoc like that instead of trying to beat defenses with his jumper (although he still took a bit too many for my taste). If he’s going to be the primary option on offenses/without another creator, I think there will be shot selection concerns going forward (unless he has a coach that can rein him in); if he is able to play a secondary creator (or play with more creators/finishers), the shot selection should be better and his passing ability should shrine through a bit more.

Finishing: Hit or miss, but I worry about his finishing against bigger/more athletic players in the NBA. Smart cutter and does a nice job going backdoor when the defense overplays going high. He shows really nice and soft touch with either hand, but finishing in traffic/off one foot/without room to load (this is big with him) can be a bit problematic due to his frame and not being as explosive off of one foot as he is off of two (unless he’s going downhill with a full head of steam – though he did have a nice finish off of one downhill v Belmont). He is SUPER athletic off of two feet, though – very bouncy – but doesn’t explode well in tight spaces / off of one foot without downhill momentum. Goes to scoop shots a lot – worked better against lesser talented (and athletic) teams…didn’t work as well against more talented teams (and I’m not sure how effective the translation will be). Doesn’t have great touch on reverse finishes, but knows when to use the rim to protect his attempt. When he has room to explode towards the defender, he can finish through contact a bit. Can finish off of either foot / off the wrong foot on either side and his shiftiness throws defenders off, giving him more room to finish. Can jump through tight spaces to get to the rim for the finish. Doesn’t have much of a runner right now, but given his ambidexterity he could develop it in time. Some floaters//runners he had this year look a bit rough coming off his hands (especially those with his left hand).

Handle: Good handle with lots of dribble moves. Can get loose at times, but it’s not out of control/too high – gets loose when he’s sped up or tries to do too much, too quickly. Freezes defenders with his hesitation/hang dribble. Nice job driving into areas to force extra help after he beats his man. Good change of pace and can seamlessly change direction. Pushes the ball ahead in transition – fast with the ball. Shifty going downhill, shifty in tight spaces too.

Passing: Good passer and sees the court well, but is turnover prone – forces passes he shouldn’t force, makes some lackadaisical passes too. Good velocity on passes, knows how to manipulate defenses with his vision and change of pace/athleticism. Shows ability as an instinctive passer/someone who passes player open, but he is more of a read the floor + pass type of passer. Does a nice job knowing where the help will come from and finding the open man like that (more evidence of the instinctive passing) – but this also leads to some questionable decision making of a) driving into traffic and b) if the help doesn’t come, he’s dead in the water (usually on a jump-pass). Even though he’s more of a read floor then pass player, his reaction time is really quick and he can process the court quickly – can translate quickly from running downhill to passing directly out without having to set. Can do the same thing with his handle, by passing directly off of a dribble / piece together multiple dribble sets and then pass – doesn’t need to set, load, and then pass. Great whip passes with either hand (including out of a dribble/hard move). Will make some questionable pass attempts that he shouldn’t be making – lob attempts often lead to turnovers – and makes a lot of risky jump passes. His game v Marquette was his best passing game of the year for me – only two forced passes (one pass that should have been made sooner facing Marquette’s press in the 2nd half, but it wasn’t forced – just late). If he played that under control every game, he’d be so much better. Had his foot on the pedal, but he was being smart with his passes and took what was given. Nice job driving to areas to force extra help if he beats his man, leading to corner passes. *Also, his PnR numbers (assists/turnovers too) would look better if his team did a better job finishing his plays – he really did do a nice job creating looks for guys, but they would just miss).

Defense

Synergy Profile: Defense: 79th percentile (totals if percentile not available)

PnR Scoring Spot Up Around Basket Dribble J C&S ISO Off Screen/DHO 47 71 46 68 21 93 38/100 (1/9)

General Notes: Bad defender. I’ve seen people say it’s because of the workload he has on offense and while that is probably partially true, I don’t think it’s the only reason. He simply did not care at all this year on defense. Between the horrendous transition defense trying for poor steal attempts in the backcourt, to losing his man off ball, not tagging in the PnR, dying on every screen in the PnR, ball watching, missing easy rotations, etc, his defense was just bad. He has quick hands and very quick feet (the quick hands led to his steals), and solid anticipation in the passing lanes, but he should have been a better defender this past season. When he’s actually competing, he does a nice job keeping guys in front of him in isolation. Does a nice job using his quick hands and quick feet to create havoc. Does a really nice job changing direction and turning his hips too…when he wants to. There’s reason to believe that he will be a better defender going forward IF the workload is taken back a bit, but he really just comes across as someone who does not care about defense at all. Needs to be actually pushed and held accountable on defense. Makes very little effort to get back into plays after he was beat, either in the PnR or off the bounce – usually tries to poke it free from behind instead. When he’s actually in tune and trying on defense, you can see some flashes of smart rotations. As mentioned above, he processes things pretty quickly…on defense he just cares less (unless there is a weak side block or steal attempt in the passing lanes).

Rim Protection: Had some nice rotations / weak side blocks this year, but I don’t foresee this being a big part of his game going forward…which makes sense given his PG position. When he wants to slide his feet on defense and stick with his man, he has good timing contesting shots at the rim…and, on a similar note, when he wants to get back in transition, he can have some really special blocks. The overall theme with him is effort – when he wants to defend, he really can. He shows some flashes of smart rotations, but it’s pretty rare…which is odd given how well he processes things on offense). It’s possible they were just flashes and nothing more, but it’s also possible that it is an effort issue…because that is a MAJOR issue that jumps off the page immediately – he really only plays for the highlight plays on defense. He’s not someone who is competing on every possession/rotating (even the easy ones) on every(most) possession(s). As a PG, his role won’t be to protect the rim, so it’s not a killer either way, but I’d still like to see more effort.

Shot Contests: When he’s actively trying on defense, he does a nice job contesting jumpers. He can stay in front of almost everyone because of his quick feet and has really nice timing on when to jump to contest and can close well with his athleticism / vertical pop. Does not close out well – poor footwork and effort. Loses his man easily off ball – ball watches.

Footwork: In isolation, he’s very good when he wants to be…problem is, he doesn’t stay in his stance very much and gets caught flat-footed . He’s very quick, has active hands, has quick hip-turns, and is great with change of direction/stop and go. Good anticipation here, too (part of the reason why he’s good contesting on ball jumpers). Poor footwork on closeouts – gives up driving lanes and open looks. Effort on closeouts needs work, as does decision-making à goes for bad steal attempts and digs when he’s leaving his man open in the process. Effort in PnR defense is not good à does not try to get back to man, dies on screens often, goes for weak poke from behind steal attempts instead of getting back into the play (although he is good at that). Caught flat-footed a lot here as well. Has the potential to get skinny and over the top, though, because of his quick feet.

Post Up: Not good. He’s got thin legs and a thin upper body. I think he will likely be posted up by pretty much any player, unless they are just smaller than him and have no post up ability. No switch-ability at all.

Awareness: Shows some flashes with a rotation here and there, but the flashes are few and far between. Not someone who I’d count on making the smart read more often than not, and not someone who tries hard on defense either – as mentioned above, he lives for the highlight plays (which also tend to be the smart rotations he makes).