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LOS ANGELES — Ja Morant played Staples Center this weekend, a two-night installment for 1 of the NBA’s flashiest young stars.
On Saturday night, the electrifying defender with the 44-inch vertical leap and astounding ft velocity – measured astatine 1 constituent past play astatine 17.2 mph – helped steer his Memphis Grizzlies past Paul George and the Clippers, 120-114.
Less than 24 hours later, Morant and set were backmost successful the gathering for an encore against the Lakers and an accidental to amended to 3-0.
Before tip-off, Lakers manager Frank Vogel knew it was going to beryllium a chore for his squad – thinned by injuries connected the perimeter – to dilatory Memphis’ motor. To commencement his 3rd season, the 22-year-old Morant is averaging 32.5 points connected 56.3% shooting, including converting 64.9% of his 2-point tract goals.
“He’s got it all,” Vogel said. “Starting with his velocity and athleticism, I mean, if you blink, he’s by you. He’s a blur.”
That sounded a batch similar George’s appraisal erstwhile helium sat successful the aforesaid spot successful the interrogation country the nighttime before.
“He’s conscionable explosive, he’s explosive,” the Clippers prima said. “You cognize the absorption helium wants to spell – helium wants to spell left, we knew that, but he’s conscionable truthful bully and truthful fast, helium inactive gets to it.
“I’d comparison him to, like, (Derrick Rose). I guarded him my rookie year, Indy-Chicago, and guarding Ja is precise akin to however D-Rose was. It was conscionable however speedy and his quality to alteration direction, determination his assemblage in-air. He made it pugnacious for us. He enactment a batch of unit connected us.”
Ja Morant reaches a sprint velocity of 17.2 mph connected the break, tracked by #NBACourtOptix powered by Microsoft Azure! pic.twitter.com/hklJ0eKiIb
— NBA (@NBA) May 12, 2021
The Lakers had a summons to consciousness that unit Sunday evening.
He has “incredible finishing quality astatine the rim, and he’s an unthinkable interior passer,” Vogel added, noting that Morant – who averaged 7 assists successful his archetypal 2 games – besides is an effectual distributor.
“When bigs travel to help, uncovering dump-offs and whatnot, he’s an unthinkable passer successful general, not conscionable interior. Obviously helium tin shoot, deed floaters, helium tin contention you to the rim – helium truly tin bash it all. So that’s wherefore they’re connected of those up-and-coming teams.”
MORANT’S MODEL
The Lakers person a feline who’s known to use likewise dense pressure, of course.
As a imaginable and a burgeoning prima astatine Murray State, Morant was often compared to Russell Westbrook, aft whom he’s said helium modeled his game.
Now, that Westbrook is simply a Laker, his caller teammates are the ones studying Westbrook’s full-speed-ahead mode of playing.
“We’re each figuring each different out, guys are figuring retired however to tally with maine and play a small faster,” Westbrook said aft signifier Saturday. “I’m figuring retired however to bash small things, and determination without the shot and bash things … we’re each adjusting to 1 different and that’s a process alone.”
The process hasn’t been without its increasing pains. In his archetypal 2 games with the team, the 32-year-old Los Angeles autochthonal is shooting 35.7% and averaging 4 turnovers per game, to spell with 8 rebounds and 6.5 assists.
“There’s immoderate stretches wherever it’s been good, but not bully enough, particularly erstwhile they people and we get it successful speedy and he’s pushing the shot up the floor,” Vogel said Sunday. “We request radical to tally with him and we don’t ever person that. So, that’s 1 thing.”
There’s much to it than conscionable charging ahead, though.
“The surface angles for his pick-and-rolls, evidently teams are gonna nether his pick-and-rolls, we could beryllium a batch amended with our screening angles with him,” Vogel added. “There’s a fewer things similar that that we’re making advancement connected but could inactive beryllium better.”
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