Duke's Zion Williamson will dominate NBA Draft boards, analysis, and conversation until June 20^th when he goes number one overall to the New Orleans Pelicans, overshadowing the other members of this year's class in a big way. To be fair however, outside of the "once in a lifetime" talent that Williamson has been labeled, the 2019 Draft Class does not have much to offer after the top five or so. One prospect in particular however, Murray State's Ja Morant, is looking to cement himself as the next best option after number one.

Coming out of high school as an unranked and undersized guard from Sumter, South Carolina and spending two years at Murray State University in Kentucky, Morant has experienced an astronomical rise over the past 365 days. Possessing top flight speed, fine-tuned handling, and elite athleticism with the playmaking ability from the point that coaches and teammates adore, Ja has the necessary skills and intangibles to become one of the best in the league. Drawing favorable comparisons to current NBA point guards such as Russell Westbrook and De'Aaron Fox, the young point guard already finds himself in some good company. Gaining heavy interest from the Memphis Grizzlies who possess the number two pick, Ja Morant might just be on track to become the face of the franchise down in Tennessee and be one of the league's next premier point guards.

While Morant does display some struggles in being able to consistently knock down his three point shot, only 30% and 36% in his two years at MSU, he makes up for the deficiency in various other areas of his game. One such game-changer is his blazing speed when running the court, a skill that compares to what De'Aaron Fox is able to do for the Sacramento Kings in the NBA. This top flight speed is currently being paid at a premium price in today's league as well, as the game transitions into a space and pace style of play, perfect for the young guard's game. To go along with his speed, Morant possesses incredible vision and playmaking abilities like few others, displaying the skill to be able to find and create for others on the floor effectively and often, averaging 10 assists with a giant 33.3 usage rating this past year in college. Murray State lived and died by Morant's offensive skillset as he guided them to the Ohio Valley Conference regular and tournament championships to go along with a NCAA Tournament berth in 2019. If an NBA franchise (Memphis) trusts Ja enough to give him the keys to their offense like MSU did, they'll be sure to see an instant change in style of play and uptick in production due to his dynamic presence on the floor.

Another point of concern within Morant's game heading into the NBA Draft, is his ability to effectively run the pick and roll, an integral part in today's half-court offensive game. When the league is not running at insane speeds and focusing on the creation of space behind the three point line (not very often mind you), the common go-to in the half-court is the tried and true pick and roll. Throughout his career, Ja has relied heavily on his ability to simply blow past defenders and overwhelm them with his athleticism, not placing much focus or time on running actual sets or plays. In a league with the world's best professional players and athletes however, this strategy of running and winging it is not the optimal method for effective offense. Transitioning into the pros, Morant will need to adapt to a new style of play when it comes to offensive sets and the running of plays. Yes, the league will give him plenty of space to run and create, but when a good defense is able to slow a game down and take away that space where he strives, Ja will need to be able to pivot. The ability to offer a sense of control and stability to an offense is crucial to the point guard position in the NBA, something Morant needs to improve upon. Over time, the young point guard will learn how the NBA game works and gain more knowledge on the pick and roll through professional coaching and pure experience, hopefully adding to an already deadly skillset.

On the positive side of things, what Morant brings to the table in terms of his ball-handling and dribble skills is absolutely elite. Offering skilled and polished dribble moves (see his go-to behind the back move) paired with his speed, it often becomes incredibly hard for defenders to stay in front of Morant when he has the ball. When in possession, Ja is able to work the ball as if it were on a string, giving defenders headaches when trying to lock him down. The ability to change directions and stop on a dime while handling the ball also enables Morant to do whatever he pleases while on the break and moving down the court, boosting his level of playmaking even further. Top level ball-handling will also benefit him when moving into the league as spaces become increasingly tighter compared to college and as he runs pick and roll more often as well.

If Ja Morant is able to improve upon his pick and roll ability and knock down his shots from behind the arc, his game will become extremely well rounded as he already possesses a level of athleticism similar to former MVP Russell Westbrook and the fearlessness and competitiveness to match. While Morant is not Westbrook 2.0, he is an elite level talent with a similar skillset who could excel in an offensive system that really centers and focuses around him, similar to what the current Thunder guard plays in under Billy Donovan.

In college, this energetic and fierce style of gameplay powered Ja to put up a statline of 24.5 PPG, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds with only 5.2 turnovers to go along with his sky-high usage rating of 33.3. Culminating in a consensus All-American selection, OVC OPOY, and All-OVC spot among many other accolades, Morant's success of his sophomore year propelled him to the top flight of the college basketball world and to the upper echelons of draft boards going into the summer.

While he still has some glaring holes in his game going into the draft, such as poor shooting from deep and pick and roll management, there is nothing here that is not able to be improved upon over time as Morant is still only nineteen years old. Similar to current NBA players like Damian Lillard and CJ McCollom, Morant could be the next All-Star guard to come out of a mid-major program in Murray State. Already possessing intangibles such as blazing fast speed and an elite level of athleticism to go with his competitive style of play, Morant is in a position to not only succeed in the league right way, but to also grow into one of the premier point guards in today's game.

written and edited by Jack Kurtz