Ja Morant's countercultural party

The duel played last morning at the United Center in Chicago, between the Bulls and the Grizzlies, included several games in one and a final tribute.

The pulse between the second franchise in the Eastern Conference (39 wins and 22 losses) and the third in the West (42-20) respectively became, as expected, a heads-up between DeMar DeRozan and Ja Morant, with exhibition and victory for the Memphis star.

His collection of vigorous rushes, explosive

and unlikely reverses in the air (360 degrees) guided the Grizzlies to victory (116-110) and allowed him to mark another milestone in the season of his great emergence.

With 46 points (20 of them in the third quarter), Morant reached his best mark in the NBA and beat his team's record, which was held by Mike Miller with the 45 he achieved on February 21, 2007 against the Warriors.

DeRozan, who came from linking eight games with at least 35 points, only had 31 and was ejected in the final seconds for claiming a foul.

The spotlights once again pointed to a lavish and countercultural Ja Morant.

At a time when the NBA is betting more than ever on dizzying attacks and long shots, a rare bird has seen the open sky on its way to the rim.

Temetrius Jamel Morant,

Morant, stars at the age of 22 in the great appearance of the American season making his fortune in Comanche territory.

The Grizzlies point guard, 1.91m, has become the league's top scorer in the paint, with 16.5 points per game, ahead of Herculean towers like Giannis Antetokounmpo (15.3), Nikola Jokic ( 14.8), Anthony Davis (14.1) and LeBron James (13.5).

His BEST SCORING in the NBA

Ja Morant': 46 PTS 🐻

And there's every play... pic.twitter.com/obI6WlJfNC

– NBA Spain (@NBAspain) February 27, 2022

Rookie of the Year

in the generation of the colossus Zion Williamson, Morant started in the Cleveland

in his third year in the elite after placing his team in the

of the Western Conference (after the Suns and the Warriors, and with better balance than the Heat, leader of the East with 40-21) with his charismatic leadership and his countercultural game.

With traces and traces of the first Derrick Rose, for explosiveness, jumping ability and penetration, and of the first Chris Paul, for hierarchy and ascendancy over his teammates.

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LeBron James against time

After averaging 17.8 points per game in his rookie season and 19.1 in his sophomore year, Morant hit the ground running in the

last year.

With 35 points, six rebounds, six assists and four steals, to reply to Stephen Curry in the decisive

duel .

And 30.2 points, 8.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds on average in the five games of the first round tie in which the Grizzlies lost to Utah.

“It's a lot of fun to watch him play.

There is no other explanation.

He is so athletic, skilled, agile... I could compare him to Derrick Rose because of his explosiveness and ability to move in the air.

He chains one outstanding play after another, ”said Paul George, stating the evidence and anticipating the revolution.

This season, Morant is the seventh scorer in the league, with 27.1 points on average, in the group of the greats, in the wake of Joel Embiid (29.7), Giannis Antetokounmpo (29.4), LeBron James ( 28.9), DeMar DeRozan (28.3), Trae Young (27.8) and Luka Doncic (27.4).

A scoring production based on the paint (16.5 points for the 13 of his first course and 11.3 in the second).

Only Shaquille O'Neal, Antetokounmpo himself and Zion Williamson have surpassed Morant's rim numbers this season so far this century.

A formidable leap whose trend began to consolidate in the opening game, on October 21 against the Cavaliers (132-121).

Ja Morant opened the course with 37 points, 30 of them achieved in the paint with a repertoire of penetrations, layups, suspensions and dunks that were unfathomable for the rival.

While centers strive to expand their shooting radius and mobility to function with resources on the perimeter, Morant has made the reverse journey, sneaking into the zone to hang between giants.

He accumulates almost 10 points per game between layups and dunks, real records for players of his position and height.

And, despite the revolution of the triple (33.2% in his file), he has transferred the epicenter of his leadership to painting.

base-shooting guard profile

that breaks the zone and beats the pivots based on accentuated parabolas has relegated the game to the low post.

The consolidation of the

It favors the biotypes that evolve from the outside in against the traditional pivots who fight to reinvent themselves and deny their rigidity.

A trip that Ja Morant has turned into a party.

In an amusement park under the hoops.

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