It happened.
I didn’t think it would happen this quickly, but it happened. Ja Morant, Murray State’s sophomore guard, had an electrifying performance in his opening game of the NCAA tournament, notching a triple double against Marquette in a comfortable win.
Then almost immediately people started to try and make the argument that Morant was better now, or better equipped for the NBA, than Duke’s Zion Willliamson.
I was prepared to cast this column idea off because I figured only silly people on dark corners of the internet were saying such things, and there were plenty of those people. Then people with blue check marks on Twitter got involved.
Then Jay Williams got involved on ESPN.
Let’s take our time with this.
Ja Morant is great. Ja Morant is wonderful. I think he’s going to have an excellent NBA career, and depending on injuries, team situations, etc. could even possibly have a better NBA career than Williamson. Zion may get really into folk music and decide to retire at 23 to travel the country and master the banjo. Weird stuff happens all the time. I can’t see the future and neither can you.
But we also can be honest with ourselves. Williamson is playing in a tougher conference with more talented teammates, two of whom he defers to constantly, which is sort of silly because he’s stronger than just about any human being alive who doesn’t play middle linebacker in the NFL, and can get just about any shot he wants at any time.
Zion has got touch and better vision than people realize, and he can hit a jumper. He’s a 280-pound wrecking ball who can jump out of the building. He’s the most exciting and dominant college basketball player I can remember.
I understand what Williams is trying to say. The NBA is becoming a perimeter league. Morant can shoot, beat guys off the dribble, and he’s a great passer. But Morant isn’t a Steph Curry or Trae Young type long-range gunner who can shoot from anywhere. He’s a good-not-great 3-point shooter (making 34% from deep on 4.7 attempts per game from college distance), and I’m certain he’ll get better as a pro.
The comp I keep hearing is De’Aaron Fox, which, yes! That’s awesome. De’Aaron Fox is awesome, and if Morant can get to his level quickly, the NBA will be more awesome for it.
Williamson has the potential not to have any comps. That’s what’s so intriguing about him. He’s some unholy mix of Draymond Green (except he’s got 60 pounds on him), Charles Barkley (except he’s got 3 inches on him), and Larry Johnson (except he’s got a 3-point shot).
Look at the above comps. That’s not some crazy names being thrown out, either. That’s what smart people have said when trying to figure out who Williamson will be in the NBA. A bigger, taller, better shooting mix of Draymond Green, Charles Barkley and Larry Johnson. I mean, come on.
All this is a longwinded way of me saying: You can say Ja Morant is fantastic and not have to rush to say he’s better or will have a better NBA career than Williamson. I understand we have to fill discussion hours and it’s all sports and nothing really matters, but it is, at its heart, silly. Morant is great. Williamson is the best college basketball player I think I’ve ever seen.
