Ja Morant is the NBA’s latest skywalker and he has already established himself as one of the best players in the league. He averaged an impressive 27.4 points per game for the Memphis Grizzlies last season and was one of the biggest reasons why they finished with the second-best record in the NBA.
Morant’s trash-talking might have put some people off but there is no denying that he is going to be one of the best players in the league for years to come provided he stays healthy. Health is a concern with him though so you hope that the injury bug stays away.
Ja Morant Is Not Satisfied With Being Ranked 9th On ESPN’s Rankings For The 2022-23 Season
ESPN’s panel of experts certainly has high hopes of Ja for next season as they ranked him as the 9th best player in the league. While a lot of players would be thrilled to be ranked that high, Morant isn’t satisfied with just cracking the top 10, as he has higher aspirations.
“I’m trying to be No. 1” @JaMorant won’t be satisfied until he’s the best player in the league. (via @NBA) pic.twitter.com/vmksHhLlcU
— NBA TV (@NBATV) September 26, 2022
“I’m being honest, I’m not satisfied. I got eight more spots to go, so that’s another one of my motivations coming in at nine, I’m trying to be no. 1.”
He is not the only star to not be happy about where he ranked, with Kevin Durant seemingly taking a shot at ESPN for not ranking him in the top 5. These players have a lot of pride and even getting a spot in the top 10 is often not enough for them.
Provided he stays healthy, there is a good chance that Morant does rise up the rankings next year as we don’t see him slowing down. The Grizzlies will also need him to play at an extremely high level as they’ll be without Jaren Jackson Jr. for the start of the season. Even without this injury, it was going to be tough to replicate the success they had last season, as they are no longer taking anyone by surprise. No one could have foreseen them winning 56 games and they now go from being the hunter to the hunted.
We’ll soon find out how this young group responds to the added pressure that comes with the expectations that are now on them. Ja should be able to handle it just fine and it is up to the rest of the roster to rise up to the challenge as well.
