For his only visit to Madison Square Garden of the season, Ja Morant had decided to offer his jersey to Derrick Rose after the meeting. A gift in the form of a tribute since the 2011 MVP strongly influenced the Memphis star.
Except that, as the Grizzlies playmaker was very good in this part, with a triple-double (27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds), his father came forward to recover his son’s jersey, thus depriving Rose of this present.
“It was a little weird”smiled the All-Star for ESPN. “I planned to give it to D-Rose. At first, I even told my father that I had already left him. »
“He really made people believe in players like me”
Not to disappoint anyone, Morant found a solution: as he had changed his jersey during the game, he left one for his Knicks counterpart and gave the other to his father. Everyone is happy, especially the player who shone in the most famous room in the league.
“Achieving a triple-double at the Garden is crazy”, confirms the principal concerned. “I grew up watching games in this room, seeing the Knicks. Everyone loves the Garden. Everyone is watching what’s going on. »
And then it’s against Rose, one of his role models, and he believes that the former MVP inspired a whole generation.
“He really made people believe in players like me”explains Morant. “I have a feeling he’s the one who made athletic fullbacks famous. With his acrobatic finishes, his touch close to the circle and his explosiveness. When he arrived, he was my point of comparison and it’s crazy to be on the pitch with him. »
As for Taylor Jenkins, he obviously pays tribute to his playmaker, author of his fifth career triple-double. “We must pay tribute to him: a triple-double, 14 assists. I’m very proud. He was in attack mode from the start. The Knicks tried several defenses against him, but he found the solutions, especially late in the game. He was magnificent. »
| Ja Morant | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2019-20 | SAME | 67 | 31 | 47.7 | 33.5 | 77.6 | 0.8 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 7.3 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 3.3 | 0.3 | 17.8 |
| 2020-21 | SAME | 63 | 33 | 44.9 | 30.3 | 72.8 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 7.4 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 0.2 | 19.1 |
| 2021-22 | SAME | 57 | 33 | 49.3 | 34.4 | 76.1 | 1.4 | 4.4 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 0.4 | 27.4 |
| 2022-23 | SAME | 16 | 33 | 47.3 | 38.5 | 75.2 | 1.3 | 4.8 | 6.1 | 7.3 | 1.8 | 1.1 | 3.8 | 0.3 | 28.6 |
| Total | 203 | 32 | 47.4 | 33.3 | 75.4 | 1.0 | 3.6 | 4.6 | 7.2 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 3.3 | 0.3 | 21.8 | |
