NCAA Basketball: Top 10 mid-major players in 2019 NBA draft

HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT - MARCH 21: Ja Morant #12 of the Murray State Racers dunks the ball during the second half of the first round game of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament against the Marquette Golden Eagles at XL Center on March 21, 2019 in Hartford, Connecticut. Murray State defeated Marquette 83-64. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

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SAN DIEGO, CA – MARCH 16: Ja Morant #12 of the Murray State Racers handles the ball in the first half against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena on March 16, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Donald Miralle/Getty Images) /

No. 1 – Ja Morant (Guard, Murray State)

There may not have been a more electrifying player in college basketball not named Zion Williamson last season than Murray State sophomore guard Ja Morant. Morant was a triple-double threat every time he took the floor for the Racers last season, registering three. He averaged over 25 points per game and a nation-leading 10 assists per game in his final season. As the college season wore on, he was garnering more and more attention, now with the draft nearly upon us it seems to be a foregone conclusion that Morant will be the No. 2 pick by the Memphis Grizzlies.

There is not much to dislike about Morant, other than being a little more efficient as a shooter, but who can’t be? The 6-3 guard is an elite playmaker and scorer, maybe not the scorer Trae Young was at Oklahoma but he has that passing ability that has NBA scouts salivating at what he could do with more skilled teammates in the NBA, that upgrade in surrounding talent will also diminish the negatives in Morant’s game, like being overly aggressive driving to the basket and driving into turnovers because he will know that the offensive burden will no longer all be on him.

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Morant plays with a swagger and a motor to match his ability, he isn’t afraid of the big stage, in fact he seems to shine brighter in it. It looks like Morant may be the next in line to be a small-school guard to reach NBA superstardom, a la Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.

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