Ja Morant - What Zion Williamson Is Supposed to Be

Of course I had already declared Ja Morant the best-scoring PG in the NBA months ago, the first time he beat Steph and them with some clutch play, not on this blog but as a regular commentator on another I used to frequent.  I have since deleted that account, which means I have no proof of actually saying it.  But it's like the other people who frequented that blog know that your boy was spot on.

And no, the purpose of this post is not to pat myself on my back.  In fact being totally honest, even if I did realize Ja was a more potent scorer than Steph, Luka and, dare I say it, even Kyrie before everybody else started dickriding, in the last month or so Morant has still proven himself better than even I thought.  Like I don't really consider the current iteration of the Grizzlies that good of a team.  But with Ja being on some MJ shit these days, it's like now the sky's the limit.  Yes, Morant may be leaner than a mutha.  But I knew someone like that back in the days, like dude was mad skinny but strong as hell.  That's what niggas in the 'hood call stringy or some sh*t.  And the scary thing is that as Ja, who is currently 22 years old, progresses into his 20s and 30s, it's like dude will only get stronger.  So soon, if somebody don't calm your boy down, he might start straight bangin' on dudes.

And as much as I hate to say it, it's hard, at least for people like to me, to think about Ja Morant without Zion Williamson also coming to mind.  It's been a long time since I watched college basketball, so most of the players coming into the NBA these days I've never heard of until around the time they're getting drafted.  Such was the case with Ja Morant.  But as for Zion Williamson, I had been hearing his name at least a year or two in advance.  And yes, I did conclude he was overrated after Duke's lackluster performance in the NCAA tournament, during that sole year Zion was in college.  But he was still touted as the first truly unanimous number-one pick since AD in 2012, and some people were even going as far as comparing him to Lebron.  So  say if I were the GM of an NBA team, I would have likely picked Williamson over Morant also, though in my defense if I were a GM I would have also actually known who Morant was beforehand.

But such is the danger of dickriding.  When you get caught up in the media and general consensus all that kind of shit, it's like critical analysis is thrown out the window in the name of keeping up with the Joneses.  So Zion Williamson under-performed, leadership-wise, at Duke, on top of displaying health issues yet was still considered the top prospect by everyone.

Now another thing I stated on that other blog months ago is my belief that Zion Williamson is not as hurt as he is letting on.  What I rather believe is that okay, he may have some health issues.  But more to the point is him not wanting to potentially hurt himself further by playing for the Pelicans.  Most young players, like Ja Morant, are compelled to prove themselves upon entering the NBA.  Meanwhile, via endorsements and what have you, Williamson is already enjoying a superstar's earnings.  Also the NBA already made him an All-Star last, in only his second season, in yet another attempt to present him as the next big thing.  So my conspiracy theory is that Zion is saving his strength for until after his Pelicans' contract runs out, so he can go and play with a more-popular team, like the Lakers or Knicks, the latter of whom he has already more or less expressed an affinity for.  Zion is currently one of those few NBAers, like Kawhi for instance, who doesn't even have to play for like a year or two but will still be a max player whenever his next contract comes around.

CONCLUSION

Based on that above conspiracy theory, some people may say that Zion is a quitter or not a team player, blazi blah.  But this is the age of player empowerment, whereas NBAers are more aware of their worth than they've ever been.  So ask yourself this question - if you were Zion Williamson, would you want to be out there right now busting your ass for the Pelicans and potentially endangering your health and thus future court efficacy in the process? 

So of course the real losers in this equation are the Pelicans.  First they got sh*tted on by Anthony Davis.  And now Zion Williamson, who is supposed to be AD's superstar replacement, appears to be doing the same.  But so it is when you decide to name your team "the Pelicans".

And even though, to reiterate, no one probably would have chosen Ja over Zion (lol) in 2019, if for no other reason than the latter's commercial appeal, you still have to also presume that there's some people in the Pelicans' organization who are kicking themselves for passing up on the player who has actually proven to be the next big thing.