Belonging to the same group of players born in 1999 in the NBA, Ja Morant and Luka Doncic are currently developing in two different paths.
Ja Morant and Luka Doncic are two bright stars of the generation of NBA players born in 1999. Although they play in two different positions and have different playing styles, their talents and achievements can be considered the same. “one nine one ten”. This has caused many people to put two young stars on the comparison table.
Recently, legends Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett evaluated these two players and selected a worthy person to build a team around. The debate was quite dramatic. However, in the end result, Ja Morant still won votes from both Boston Celtics legends.
Two talents born in 1999 compete to become the best young star in the tournament, who will win?
Specifically, Paul Pierce said: “Luka has better stats, but I like the way Ja plays. He puts a lot of pressure on the game. I also appreciate his defensive ability. He also has physical strength and speed. My choice is the Memphis guy. He reminds me of a combination of Allen Iverson and Derrick Rose.”
Kevin Granett also concluded with a similar opinion: “I will also choose Ja. I do not underestimate Luka because you cannot teach a player over 2m tall how to play football. But if I had to choose 1, it would be Ja Morant. His value in the market is increasing and his influence on the team is also huge.”
Ja Morant is comparable to many seniors like Allen Iverson and Derrick Rose
When the Memphis Grizzlies selected Ja Morant with the second pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, many people were skeptical about the small defender. Even players born in 1999 are considered much inferior to the No.1 pick that same year, Zion Williamson. However, similar debates gradually became less frequent when Ja Morant took home the title of “Outstanding Rookie of the Year 2020” while the New Orleans Pelicans star struggled with limited playing minutes.
Ja Morant has a modest height of 1m91 in the NBA arena but makes many people “take their hat off” when ranked 3rd in the entire tournament in terms of points scored within the three-second zone at the present time. . Playing as a ball-leading defender, the 22-year-old man possesses remarkable resilience and an impressive set of ball-handling skills.
Compensating for his physical strength, the young Memphis star often makes quick bursts, causing the entire defensive team to watch helplessly as he scores “and-1” shots. In his third year playing in the NBA, Ja Morant has proven himself to be a dangerous player, causing many teams to have to defend extremely “hard” against him once he crosses the half-court line.
Meanwhile, fellow competitor Luka Doncic soon became famous from his second year playing in the tournament. In his twenties, he was soon dubbed the “Record Holder” with countless triple-doubles that have entered the NBA history books. However, the young Mavericks star has caused a lot of controversy with his overweight body and his admission of “looseness” during training.
Despite many times facing the opportunity to win the MVP title, Luka Doncic seems to be relying too much on his natural qualities and forgetting hard work to achieve success. However, keep in mind that the unfinished version of him averaged 24.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 8.6 assists. So how dangerous will a hard-working Luka Doncic still be?
At the present time, Ja Morant is a young star who meets the expectations of NBA audiences. Grizzlies players showed remarkable improvement compared to their rookie season. He contributed an average of 24.4 points, 6.7 assists and a 48.7% efficiency to the team’s 31 wins – 15 losses. “The Bears” are currently holding 3rd place, chasing the Golden State Warriors on the Western rankings. The individual star wearing shirt number 12 is a bright candidate in this year’s MVP title race.