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Not all that long ago, no one had a clue who Ja Morant was.
Well that’s not strictly true of course so let’s correct it: no one outside of his particular social and athletic circles knew anything about him.
We began to learn last year that this guy was exceptional and by the time the draft rolled around, he went second, behind only former AAU teammate and fellow South Carolinian Zion Williamson and one spot ahead of Williamson’s Duke teammate RJ Barrett.
So has he made an impact in the league?
Well, yes. Take a look at this for example.
In this video, Morant embarrasses and outclasses one the NBA’s leading contenders for league MVP, James Harden.
The Beard has never been famous for his defense but even with that kept in mind, Morant humiliates him repeatedly and rookies are not supposed to do that established stars.
If you want proof of that, do a search on Larry Bird and rookie, because he made a point to show them that they were at a different level now and it was his world and his rules. And the #1 rule? Put rookies in their place.
Seriously, there are tons of hilarious stories about Larry Bird and rookies. He took a sadistic sort of delight in humiliating them. One guy - we can't remember who right now - seriously thought about quitting after experiencing it.
Morant completely flips that whole idea here and just trashes Harden and anyone else who tries to guard him. He’s a brilliant talent and he’s just 20.
Speaking of Bird, he would have appreciated this pass. Make sure to watch the second angle.