“When I’m hit, I always get up.” As fans await the highly anticipated return of Ja Morant following an injury riddled year, the Grizzlies superstar delivered a strong message in his latest Nike commercial. Well, limited to playing only nine games last season and not seeing enough of him on TV, Ja believes that people have forgotten how good he really is. And we are here to remind you.

With Ja looking forward to a heroic return, lets look at his NBA journey so far and the key physical attributes that make him a superstar.

From lottery pick in the draft to a franchise player for the Grizzlies

While the internet was raving about Zion Williamson and his viral highlight reels at Duke, another star was doing wonders on the court playing for Murray State. Taking a massive leap in his sophomore year, Ja increased his averages from 12.7 points as a freshman to 24.5 points in his second college season. Sure enough, he was named the OVC Player of the Year and bagged several individual accolades including the OVC tournament MVP. As expected, NBA scouts noticed Ja’s talent and he was picked second overall by the Grizzlies in the 2019 draft. Moreover, he was so confident that Memphis would pick him that he even skipped the draft combine which assesses every prospect’s attributes.

Carrying that momentum, Ja became an instant sensation in the league and bagged Rookie of the Year honors by averaging 17.8 points and over seven assists. And only two seasons later, he received his first All-Star nod while also taking home the Most Improved Player award. As Ja was climbing the ladder of success, the Grizzlies were also benefitting from it as he ended their three-year playoff drought and led them to three straight postseason appearances. But what made Ja a sensation, especially among the youth, was his insane athleticism.

“Super Special” Average sized guard with crazy athleticism who even garnered praise from LeBron James

Well, if you talk about Ja’s height, he is not the tallest guard in the league. Standing at 6’2, he is close to the league’s average height at his position. Moreover, he has a wingspan of 6’7 which again is at par with the league average. So, what makes him stand out? Sure enough, it’s his vertical leap of an astounding 44 inches, making him one of the highest leapers in the league. Due to his alien like high flying ability, Ja has managed to put several superstars on a poster over the years including 7’5 Center Victor Wembanyama.

And combining his athleticism with his craftiness and creativity, Ja has one of the best dunk highlights and layup packages in the league. Sure enough, that has made him extremely popular among fans as they constantly wait for the high flyer to embarrass other superstars with his nasty moves. And his 174lbs frame helps him make quick movements and direction changes to fool his opponents. Moreover, Ja has been so impressive that even LeBron James had high praise for him when the Grizzlies star was just a rookie. “The kid is super special. Like I said when we just played him in L.A., Memphis got a great one. They got a great one. So, the sky’s the limit for the kid.” LBJ remarked after Ja dropped 27 points to beat the Lakers. But Ja’s numbers should not come as a surprise now that we know what he is capable of.

Can Ja Morant add to his amazing career stats as he returns from a “Tough” injury

Due to his diverse skillset, Ja has become a nightmare for defenders and his performance has gotten better with each season. While as a rookie, he averaged less than eighteen points, he is now a consistent 25+ points scorer. And that has increased his career scoring average to 22.5 points. Meanwhile, Ja has also levelled up his playmaking skills as he has been averaging over eight assists for two straight seasons. Sure enough, that has hiked his career average to 7.4 assists. Moreover, he is also a menace on defense with a one steal average and frequent stunning blocks.

However, many fear that last year’s hiatus might have halted his momentum. First, he started the season by missing 25 games due to a suspension he was serving after wielding a firearm on social media for the second time in the span of a few months. Not only did the incident limit his time on the court, but it also hurt his reputation as even Adam Silver gave Ja an earful in his statement, “The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concerning. Under these circumstances, we believe a suspension of 25 games is appropriate and makes clear that engaging in reckless and irresponsible behavior with guns will not be tolerated.”

And when Ja finally got a chance to suit up, he was sidelined once again after only nine games due to a season-ending shoulder surgery. But he’s back and has high hopes for next season, “Obviously I wanna be out there every game so, now my main focus is to be able to do that. Recovery has pretty much been the biggest thing for me obviously this off season because of my shoulder and then, ramping back up and having recover the other parts of my body.” Moreover, instead of forgetting the tough year he had, he plans on learning from that experience, “Last two years, everything that I’ve experienced, everything that I’ve been through, I wanna remember that feeling I felt each time. No matter what situation it was. I felt like it helped me a lot, helped me grow more into a better Ja.”

And he is looking forward to sharing the court with his old teammates and also the new ones including star rookie Zach Edey, “Honestly feel like, this is one of the best rosters we had on paper depth wise. Now being able to see the guys and go out and you know when we playing and stuff gives me even more confidence. I feel like we’re pretty much loaded in every position and it’s going to be interesting to see how it all pans out.” Well, with superstars like Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart and Jaren Jackson Jr. returning along with Zach Edey’s potential rise, Ja could return to playing at the superstar level right away and even lead the Grizzlies to the mountaintop. What are your thoughts?