When the Grizzlies drafted Ja Morant second overall in the NBA Draft they knew they were getting someone with incredible athletic ability. Morant is one of those guys that isn’t just bigger, faster, and stronger than his peers but also has a good sense of pace in his game. Each night you seem to see him getting better and better.
Of course, the best nights are when it looks like he’s just trying to put on a show for the fans. A cool dunk here, a transition slam there, but he never gets to break out his full arsenal. NBA defenses are too good to let a rookie like Morant get too greedy against them, but he will always try.
High flyers like him need a place they can be showcased, which is why Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports reported on Monday that Morant has received an invite for the dunk contest.
Memphis Grizzlies standout rookie Ja Morant has been invited to compete in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest during All-Star Weekend in Chicago next month, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
The 6-foot-3 point guard out of Murray State has had some of the most electrifying, jaw-dropping dunks of the season.
But the 20-year-old high-flyer is still mulling over the offer.
“It’s something I’m thinking about,” Morant told Yahoo Sports. “I haven’t made a decision yet.”
Not every athletic player has to be in the dunk contest, but Morant would be a great addition. Some players are better in game dunkers and Morant has spent his rookie season piling up a flurry of dunks, like his poster on Aron Baynes.
Or that time he tried to force Kevin Love into early retirement.
But do not fret. He has the ability to show out in a dunk contest environment on pure athleticism if he chooses to. He showed flashes of that ability during warmup lines back at Murray State in college.
We need to see Morant in a dunk contest, because if someone with his confidence is given the chance to show off then it’s likely he delivers on the hype. It’s also a great opportunity for a young player to show the rest of the world who he is and what he can do. Here’s hoping he says yes.
