Temetrius Jamel Morant, who has quickly established himself as an NBA superstar with enough status and swagger that he is most often referred to simply as Ja, has a good track record of being overlooked and having to expect.
Unranked by most college basketball recruiting services and overlooked by nearly every major NCAA Division I school, though he was named All Region Most Valuable Player three times during the of his high school career in his home state of South Carolina, Morant was accidentally discovered by an assistant. coach at Murray State and engaged in the mid-major program. A first-team all-conference player as a rookie, Morant led the college hoops in assists as a sophomore and became the first player in NCAA history to average at least 20 points and 10 assists. decisive per game for a single season.
Along with working on his on-court game during his time at Murray State before being selected No. 2 overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2019 NBA Draft, the 22-year-old has also honed his game. waiting while queuing at Popeye. after the chicken chain released their game-changing sandwich.
Dipping expert Ja Morant was a natural for promoting the most dipping meal.
Uber Eats x Popeyes
“I was actually visiting my college and they just opened Popeye’s there. It’s a place everyone loves to call home in South Carolina. I think that’s where I became a fan,” said Morant, who partners with the chicken chain to promote the most dunkable meal limited edition that will be available exclusively through Uber eats in honor of the NBA playoffs, tells InsideHook. “It was crazy. Every time you passed Popeye there was a line up the road. I was in the queue for about 30 minutes, but I was able to get the chicken sandwich – spicy – and I was a fan. It was really good, I can tell you.
So Morant, on the cusp of NBA stardom and named 2020 Rookie of the Year, was nonetheless forced to line up like the rest of us? “I’m still human, man,” he says. Depending on how deep a playoff the second-seeded Grizzlies make the playoffs with the first All-Star call and shot making could soon be up for debate.
Set to open the playoffs at home in Memphis on Saturday afternoon against the Timberwolves after finishing the regular season in first place in the Southwest Division with a stellar 56-26 record, the Grizzlies will have their favorite starting lineup. de Morant alongside Dillon Brooks, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Steven Adams available for just the 12th time this season to start the playoffs. With many starters running out of time, Morant himself only played 57 games this season and the Grizzlies went 20-5 without him in the lineup.
“Honestly, I feel like I learned more by watching than by playing. Seeing how my teammates play without me shows me the confidence they have and the different things they can do on the pitch. I think our organization and our coaches should get a lot of credit for the way guys play when certain guys are out,” Morant said. season due to injuries. and the guys being out. But the chemistry part with those guys, playing against each other, is still there. We all watch a lot of each other’s movies and I feel like that won’t be a big deal getting that chemistry.
On top of the irreplaceable top-five ratio, who scored 119.7 points per 100 possessions while allowing just 94.8 points per 100 possessions for a whopping +24.9 net odds while together this season , the experience the Grizzlies gained from making the playoffs last season and losing to the Jazz 4-1 in the first round will be a boon in the upcoming playoffs for a young Memphis team.
“Coming into this playoff series, we had a lot of guys who never made the playoffs. It was the first time we had done it,” explains Morant. “This year, after having this experience from last year of what playoff basketball really is, it’s about taking what we learned from last year and correcting it and continuing to work on ourselves. We have to play like we have done all season without pressure, just having fun, playing really hard and selflessly.
And Morant, who had 21 points and nine assists in 27 minutes as the Grizzlies outscored the Pelicans 141-114 in the penultimate game of the regular season, will lead the way.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself because I feel like you have to be a leader if you’re the leader. You have to lead by example,” says Morant. “I have to call different sets and make sure everyone is in the right place. From that point of view, I feel like I have to be very committed and very vocal. Growing up, my parents always told me to be a leader. That’s me taking that in the game and that’s pretty much me. My teammates have my back and they know I have theirs. We are hard working guys who are selfless, competitive and having fun. We all ride for each other.
Considering how the Grizzlies have played collectively as a team this season, that run could stretch far into the playoffs.
“The rest of the world will see what a special group we are and how deep our roster is from top to bottom. We all have chips on our shoulders and feel like we have something to prove,” Morant says. “I feel like continuing to always want to prove myself got me to where I am today. That’s the motivation. I want to prove myself every day.”
do you getr Pop corn Popeye is ready.
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