Getty Murray State guard Ja Morant is expected to be the Grizzlies No. 2 pick.
Murray State guard Ja Morant has emerged in his second collegiate season as an elite player and top-two or three selection in the 2019 NBA Draft. But that hasn’t always been his outlook or expected upside. It was actually just the opposite originally, as Morant wasn’t recruited much and was seeming overlooked as a prospect in the class of 2017.
You’d be hard-pressed to find any recruiting website which had Morant ranked in any fashion when he committed to the Racers. The talented point guard from Sumter, South Carolina was unranked by Rivals, and ESPN. The end result of that was him receiving almost no interest from colleges.
But Morant’s eventual choice for college proved to be one that worked out well both for his own future and for the program, as he helped Murray State return to excellence.
Ja Morant Received One Offer During Recruitment
According to the Rivals recruiting page for the point guard, he committed to the Racers on September 2, 2016, and did so without taking a visit to the school. Murray State was also the only school to show interest in Morant, according to the site.
But there was a reason for this apparently, and as Morant told Marc Tracy of The New York Times, it had to do with the fact that he was under 6-foot tall until his senior year. Beyond that, the 19-year-old also couldn’t dunk until he was almost in college.
Although Morant wasn’t highly-recruited and stood south of the 6-foot mark, it’s still surprising to see that he received just one offer. Especially when you consider that the now-6-foot-3 point guard made an impact during his freshman season which was largely overlooked.
Ja Morant’s Freshman Season Flies Under the Radar
While Morant has averaged 24.4 points, 10.2 assists and 5.7 rebounds through the first 32 games this season, he wasn’t asked to shoot nearly as much in his first season. Even still he proceeded to average 12.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 6.3 assists over 34.0 minutes while attempting nearly seven fewer shots per game.
In the same story from Marc Tracy of The New York Times, Murray State coach Matt McMahon calls Morant’s freshman season underrated. He also proceeded to compare it to the college seasons of Anfernee Hardaway and Jason Kidd.
“I think he did take a leap, but I think he did not receive enough credit for the terrific freshman year that he did have,” McMahon said.
Tracy also notes that the Racers had two seniors in Jonathan Stark and Terrelel Milllre Jr. who averaged nearly 37 points per game combined. In turn, this led to Morant taking somewhat of a backseat offensively. But even though he’s shooting far more this season, he’s increased his shooting percentage from the field (50.4 percent) and beyond the arc (34.4)
Morant’s breakout season has been superb and fun to watch, but more than that, it’s created a buzz that’s rivaling Duke Blue Devils star Zion Williamson. And it’s highly likely that these two will be the first names called in the NBA draft.
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