Ja Morant and Stephen Curry are like two bulls in a headlock for the title of the best point guard of 2022. With the All-NBA first team picking 2 guards Ja and Curry could both make it. But in a fictional world if only one point guard could make it, who out of these 2 would make it?
Ja Morant just scored 52 points tonight against the 12th seeded Spurs to break his record that he set 2 days back. He has scored the most points in a single game in Memphis franchise history, twice in one week.
But with tonight’s performance, he’s now the only player in Memphis history to score 50 points in a single game. Some say this performance has solidified his case to be the best point guard in the league.
Here is why Ja Morant is having a better season than Stephen Curry
Ja this season is averaging 27 points per game, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds which are all monumental jumps from his stats last season. Stephen Curry is averaging 25 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds. That gives Ja the edge. Morant has more points and rebounds with the same amount of assists on fewer minutes played. Curry is shooting better from the 3 but Ja is shooting better from the field.
Ja Morant with Steph Curry range just isn’t fair ????pic.twitter.com/ZONXX7Uhfe
— Caesars Sportsbook (@CaesarsSports) March 1, 2022
Another thing voters consider during the voting of all-NBA teams is the strength of the lineup. Stephen Curry is playing with another All-star starter in Andrew Wiggins and a recently healthy Klay Thompson.
As much as this isn’t Curry’s fault that the Warrior’s GM made a strong team, it does hurt his image when it’s up for comparison. Ja is playing with 3 other players that provide a consistent 15+ points per game every night, however, as they haven’t received any All-Star nods it just shines Ja in a more flattering light.
Stephen Curry and Ja have both had 1 game scoring over 50 and 6 games scoring over 40. However, Ja is leading Steph with almost 10 more 30+ point performances. Steph’s 3 point shooting is what has carried him in this conversation. Ja and Steph are tied at offensive ratings per 100 possessions but Ja leads in the defensive rating. The last thing that puts Ja over Curry is that Ja has better offensive box plus/minus.
Ja Morant last 4 games:
52 PTS
46 PTS
20 PTS
44 PTSHe’s averaging 41/6/5 on 53/44% shooting in that span. pic.twitter.com/JnVzcnO2Rl
— StatMuse (@statmuse) March 1, 2022
These two players head to head in stats. But it would not surprise anybody if Steph goes on to overtake Ja before the season ends. However, as of right now, Ja Morant is having the better season. And accordingly, he is the best point guard in the league. If these 2 players match up in the playoffs, who will have a better season amongst the 2 of them?
