Ranking Washington Wizards’ Hachimura among tonight’s MVP candidates
By Keith Cork
5. Ja Morant
Ja Morant is a gifted scorer with a very bright future. His off-the-charts athleticism has allowed him to average 17.6 points per game (good for 2nd most among rookies), and 7.1 assists per game (most among rookies).
The thing that scares me most about Morant in this game, though, is the athleticism. He might be jumping over folks multiple times in tonight’s game, and if that’s the case RIP Rui Hachimura’s MVP hopes, right?
The dude is not afraid of contact, and contact dunks are some of the most crowd-raising spectacles in the game today, so he has a good shot at snagging MVP honors. Add in the fact that he just recently recorded his first career triple-double against our very own Washington Wizards and our coach compared him to a “five-year all-star,” it’s hard to argue against his chances.
The problem, in my eyes, is that he has a lot of competition for the rock, the minutes, and the fame on Team USA, competing with the likes of talented young guards from Devonte’ Graham to Trae Young in a crowded back court.
The all-star game is always a bit of a YMCA-esque game where someone just decides to dominate the ball, so if he does that he stands a shot, but risks alienating any potential future teammates.