The NBA over the years have seen some sensational players who have emerged as stars or as it is called ‘the faces of the league’. From Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Byrant to the recent legends like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard, the list goes on and one and the future players are also here to take over. With players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Ja Morant and many others have already announced themselves. NBA Analyst and former Lakers center, Shaquille O’Neal feels Morant and Doncic will be the faces of the NBA in the coming years.
Ja Morant has been a major force this season guiding the Memphis Grizzlies to a very respectable position in the Western Conference. After averaging 19.1 last season, he has just notched his way up his season with an average of 27.8 points per game. His performances day in day out have led the Grizzlies to the third position in the Western Conference with a record of 43-21. He is playing at an MVP level this season and considering his age the point guard will only get better.
Similarly for Luka Doncic as well, the Slovenian superstar has developed into a special beast in every season he has featured in the NBA. He has guided the Dallas Mavericks to 5th seed this season despite not being the strongest roster in the Western Conference.
Looking at their potential going this year in their career, things are bound to get better for both Morant and Luka in the coming years. While speaking to the Inside the NBA crew, Shaq explained how good Ja Morant has been this season. He shared a statistic that will blow your mind. Morant is having the fifth-best scoring season at the age of 22 behind Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, and Shaquille O’Neal himself. Watching this he believes that the young point guard will surely have a career like all these mentioned superstars with whom he shares these stats. He feels that Doncic and Morant will be the biggest stars in the league in the next five years.
He said: “Ja Morant is a guy that wants it all/ He wants all the smoke, he wants all the praise. He wants all the pressure and he wants this to be his league. I saw somebody say the other day, five years, it’s going to be Ja Morant and Luka Doncic’s league. I believe that statement. But he is playing at a high level, he knows he is great. He has got the city behind him. He got his teammates behind him. There’s nothing better than having a young superstar that knows he is great.”
Both Ja Morant and Luka Doncic have been sensational this season. They have simply taken the NBA by storm. Both of them are very exciting to watch especially Morant for his all-round skills. His athleticism coupled with finesse makes him a different beast.
Overall it will be interesting for the fans to see how Morant and Donci’cs careers unfold and whether they live up to Shaq’s expectations or not.
