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- Stephen A. Smith can’t fully appreciate Ja Morant’s greatness when watching him play.
- Smith explains why it’s bittersweet whenever he gets to see Morant put on a show.
- Be sure to check out more sports stories at BroBible here.
Outside of New Orleans Pelicans fans stuck (not) watching Zion Williamson, every NBA fan should enjoy and appreciate watching Ja Morant play basketball. Morant is a human highlight reel that plays with a unique style that translates into pure entertainment.
Stephen A. Smith knows this, but that doesn’t mean he necessarily likes watching Morant play.
Smith is an unapologetic, diehard New York Knicks fan and so when his Knicks secured the No. 3 spot in the 2019 NBA Draft, a pick behind the Memphis Grizzlies, he knew his team was missing out on a potential superstar.
“I’m a native New Yorker, and the New York Knicks suck,” Smith told the Commercial Appeal. “I was just so depressed when they ended up with the third pick because I knew Morant was going No. 2 and Zion Williamson was going No. 1.”
The Knicks ended up drafting RJ Barrett out of Duke with the third pick in 2019. Barrett has worked out nicely for the Knicks, but he’s no Ja Morant.
Now that Morant has emerged as one of the top talents in the league and has the Grizzlies rolling towards a top-three seed in the West, Smith gets depressed watching Morant play.
“Of course when I see Ja Morant it’s bittersweet because I love basketball, and I love his game, his heart, his potential. But the flipside to it is that he also makes me depressed because every time I see his heroics, I’m saying that could have been the Knicks at the Garden,” Smith explained.
Morant’s game, style, and demeanor fit extremely well with the city of Memphis. However, it’s wild to imagine where the Knicks would be if they managed to land Morant in the 2019 NBA Draft.