Murray State Basketball: Ja Morant is taking the nation by storm

Murray State basketball’s Ja Morant uses his wide array of skills to wow fans across the country. How did he get here and where does he go from here?

Dalzell, South Carolina is a tiny town with a small population. With notable landmarks such as Orange Grove and Bradford Springs, the town of 2,260 people are now starting to see their humble hometown hero get national attention. He goes by the name of Ja Morant. At this point, the name of Murray State basketball’s Ja Morant is as well known among college fans as Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and Bol Bol.  And if for some reason the name doesn’t ring a bell with you, then allow me to introduce you to one of the most exciting players in all of the country today.

His slender 175-pound frame may not grab you and the fact he’s leading the charge for the Murray State Racers of the Ohio Valley Conference may not be eye-popping, but take a moment to Google his name, click on any player profile and read his stats as of this moment: 23.5 ppg, 10.5 apg, 6.6 rpg, 1.8 spg, .540 FG%.

There’s your crash course introduction to the dynamic guard.

What makes the story and aura around Ja Morant so intriguing is how rapidly he has gotten here.  As just a sophomore, Morant has seen his numbers skyrocket in comparison to his freshman campaign. An impressive scorer, as his .627 TS% shows, the fact his assist percentage currently sits at 55.5% is even more impressive. Over half of Murray State’s points while Morant is on the floor, who averages 35.5 minutes per game, are assisted by Ja himself.

An undeniable explosive scorer, seeing the impact Morant has on the game when he isn’t looking to score is astounding. When Morant has 10+ assists in a given game, Murray State has won by double digits in all but one game, which was a two-point win over Evansville on December 18th.

In fact, we’ve now reached the point in the season that Morant’s impact on the game is so vast and versatile, that he’s beginning to draw player comparisons to Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook. Pardon me, though, as I’m not here to make the player comparisons and how Ja will translate to the NBA once he inevitably makes the jump which could more than likely end up being this June.

And we’ve reached the point where if Ja chooses not to declare, it would be a shock for those who follow the game.  As we speak, Babcock Hoops lists Ja as 8th in their current mock draft, Sam Amico tabs Morant as the potential sixth overall pick in 2019, and NBADraft.net goes as far as to project Ja Morant to be second off the board come June.

Trying to sit here in January and project where Ja could land in June is a bit tricky, so I won’t dwell too much on the “what if’s” of NBA Mock Drafts.  But I won’t shy away from the things we know for sure about Ja Morant…his recruitment.

One would assume that arguably the hottest name in college hoops had an over-the-top recruitment. And that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Ja Morant was a consensus 2-star recruit coming out of high school.  If you pull up his 247Sports recruitment profile, his picture is a generic silhouette of a basketball player and on Verbal Commits, you’ll see along with Murray State, he was courted by traditional powers such as South Carolina State, Maryland Eastern Shore, High Point, Winthrop, and Southern Utah…among others. Once a 2-star recruit, Temetrius ‘Ja’ Morant is now viewed as a consensus lottery pick.

This is why this journey is so fun to watch.  As we sit in awe of what Morant does on the floor, it gets amplified when you look at his journey. Sports fans love the underdog, we love to hear the trials and tribulations of people who had to work for their success. It’s something we, as everyday folk, can appreciate as we too scratch and claw for what we earn.

And that’s Ja Morant.

An afterthought on the recruiting trail, and probably considered a solid low-to-mid-major guard after his pretty solid freshman year in college, he is now potentially one of the most undeniable talents heading into the 2019 NBA Draft. The kid from little Dalzell, South Carolina is now the kid in the national spotlight.