Ja Morant, the new owner of the show in the NBA

At 22, Morant led the Memphis Grizzlies to the Western Conference semifinals for the first time since the 2014-2015 season. and these days he is playing an exciting series with Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors.

The series is tied 1-1 and the third point will be played this Saturday while the fourth will be on Monday. Curry-Morant, it’s worth it.

Unlike most NBA players and those who play across borders, Morant was not a promising project when he finished high school.

Ja was the rookie of the year two seasons ago

However, he was recruited by Murray State University in Kentucky because one of the team’s coaches casually saw him playing a 3-on-3 game on a secondary court at a talent campus.

He only lasted two of the four years in college. In the first season, 2017-2018, he averaged 12.7 points. In the second, 24.5.

The Grizzlies, who were a banshee in the 2018-2019 season, chose him second in the 2019 draft.

The condition of one of his knees raised doubts, but after an exhaustive review he managed to pass the exam.

The choice paid off immediately. Morant was named rookie (rookie, debutant player) of the year in the 2019-2020 season in which he averaged 17.8 points and 7.3 assists. The team failed to reach the playoffs for the third consecutive season.

AFP

Morant wants to be the best base in the world

But last season, 2020-2021, the team qualified for the postseason where they were eliminated by the Utah Jazz 4-1.

Morant scored more than 73 points in his first two games, reaching a mark of George Mikan, valid since 1949.

The day after the elimination, the player met with the coaching staff.

After the meeting, one of the attendees recommended a book, Win in the dark by Joshua Medcalf and Lucas Jadin. As revealed by Sports Illustrated, one of the passages in the book captivated him: “The darkness is where you transform into a version of yourself that you never dreamed possible.”

Morant then began a new and incredible preparation to face his current season.

He brought together his private trainers and prohibited them from revealing or posting their preparation on social networks.

He trained in Memphis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Miami where he locked himself in a small black-walled gym and avoided the Florida sun by using dim lighting. The darkness went from being metaphor to literalness.

7th best selling jersey in the NBA behind LeBron James, James Harden, Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic. Last year it wasn’t even in the top 15 for t-shirts sold.

Due to his height, he became obsessed with penetrations and his suspension in the air. He ran on curved treadmills and made tall cameras. He improved his speed to the limit of taking him to the level of a 100-meter sprinter, which in the United States is equivalent to being an Olympic finalist.

To improve his three-point shot (in 2020-2021 he was the worst scorer of those who made at least 200 triples) he increased the shooting sessions with a minimum of 400 daily pitches and a maximum of 800.

When he was six years old, Morant fell off a diving board and broke his arm. Since then, his left arm is two centimeters longer than his right.

To take advantage of that, he practiced driving with his unskilled hand (he’s right-handed) in order to take advantage of his slightly longer arm reach.

The man made up his mind to be the best point guard in the world. And that’s where he goes, between spectacular sinks, relentless scoring streaks and show. a lot of show As NBA history claims.

They want another final

The Vancouver Grizzlies were born in 1995 and in 2001 they moved to the United States to settle in Memphis. In the 2003-2004 season the team qualified for the playoffs for the first time, in 2010-2011 they passed the first round of the postseason and in 2012-2013 they achieved their best historical performance reaching the Western Conference final where they were swept by San Anthony Spurs 4-0.