Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant has established himself as one of the brightest young stars in the league after last season leading his team to the playoffs for the first time since 2016-17.
In just his second season in the league, Morant averaged 19.1 points, 7.4 assists, and 4.0 rebounds in 63 games and heading into Year 3, the high-flyer believes he's already a "top five" point guard in the league.
In an interview with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Morant named four established veterans to join his top five.
"Steph [Curry]. I’m a big Chris Paul fan. I’d say Dame [Lillard] and [Russell] Westbrook," Morant said. "It’s tough. The point guard position is so loaded. Some guys have to get left out,"
The 22-year old is not short on confidence and in years to come he could well end up being considered the league's best point guard.
This week, he came in at No. 31 on ESPN's ranking of the top 100 players in the league, putting him as the 10th highest rated point guard in the NBA, behind Luka Doncic (4), Steph Curry (5), Damian Lillard (8) James Harden (10), Chris Paul (13), Trae Young (17), Jrue Holiday (22), Ben Simmons (28) and Russell Westbrook (29).
Last season Morant finished seventh among point guards in assists at 7.4 per game and set the postseason alight in his first two playoff games, scoring a combined 73 points — the second-most in NBA history by a player in their first two playoff games.
His 47 points in Game 2 against the Utah Jazz are a franchise record for both regular season or playoffs and as he looks to make the Grizzlies a playoff team again this season, he also set some lofty individual goals for 2021-22.
"My goals for this season are, number one, to be better than I was my last two seasons. To be an All-Star and make an All-NBA team are my other two goals this season," Morant added.
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