Opinion
The 2021-22 NBA season has been one of the most enjoyable in recent memory.
Even competition, feel-good stories, young stars rising and award races up for grabs. However, I believe that the NBA MVP award is there for the taking for arguably the brightest young star in the NBA, Ja Morant.
In this piece, I am going to take you through the reasons I believe Ja should win the MVP award this season.
1. Individual stats
The leap that Morant has taken this year has been remarkable and his stats have been huge. He is averaging 27.6 points, six rebounds and 6.6 assists per game, as well as a steal on top of that. He has proven that he can perform in all areas of the game and is an all-around superstar.
To highlight his improvement, he averaged 19 points, four rebounds and seven assists last year. This rapid improvement has been super impressive for someone in their third year in the league. This rapid statistical improvement has been the major factor for my second argument…
2. Team success
It is no surprise that to win the MVP in the NBA, you must be part of a good team and the Memphis Grizzlies are a very good team this year. This may come as a surprise to people, considering Memphis finished last season 38-34 in ninth position out west and missed the playoffs.
But on the back of Morant, Memphis have made the jump this year and rocketed up the standings to become one of the best teams in the NBA. They are currently 43-20 and comfortably in third position in the Western Conference.
With the Grizzlies not splashing during the off-season, the biggest acquisition being Steven Adams from New Orleans, Morant has to be credited in terms of the quick turnaround for this team.
3. Narrative
As much as people don’t want to admit it, narrative plays a huge part in the MVP. Morant is the ‘shiny new toy’ of the NBA, the young kid on the block who is taking his small-market team and fighting with the elite of the competition, and it reminds me of a former MVP campaign.
Derrick Rose was a very similar story in 2011 when he became the youngest NBA MVP at 22 years old (same age as Morant). Rose took the NBA by storm, leading the Bulls to the No.1 seed while averaging 25 points, eight assists and four rebounds.
The stats are near identical, with Morant averaging two more points and rebounds but Rose beating him out in assists. The comparisons don’t stop statistically – Morant is arguably the closest thing we have seen to Rose since the record-breaking MVP season, with his breathtaking athleticism, freakish finishing ability and all-around loveable persona bringing scary similarities.
These are the three main reasons why Ja Morant should win the 2021-22 NBA MVP award and as an NBA lover, it would be a magnificent story.
Roarers, let me know who you are tipping for MVP and if I have managed to sway your opinion with this piece!
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