A lot of basketball players are excellent at what they do, but few (none?) are as mesmerizing at the peak of their powers as Ja Morant. With each clutch-time 3-point shot, half-spin fakeout and floater in the lane against the Golden State freaking Warriors it became clear in a 47-point Game 2 performance that he’s already built for playoff domination.

Morant is only 22 years and 13 playoff games old, but sheesh, I mean this dude was unguardable despite a sky-high workload and an opposing defensive plan meant to stop him. He took 31 shots and made 15 of them including four 3-pointers. 

Even after getting wacked in the eye hard enough for him to literally say “I can’t see” and receive drops, he scored 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting.

None of what he’s doing right now is normal! And that’s why it’s so fun.

His play even got LeBron James to log on and call sportswriters dweebs for voting Morant a mere Most Improved Player of the Year — an award Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler, C.J. McCollum and tons of other stars have won in the past, but whatever I guess.

I feel like the best way to brag about Ja Morant is to show you Ja Morant, so here is a dunk he did last night, a spin he did for a floater, and this clutch-time leaner. After the win, Morant ran by Stephen Curry and said “we gon’ have some fun” and he isn’t wrong!

For those keeping score at home, Tuesday night was the Memphis guard’s second 47-point playoff performance, tying the Grizzlies playoff record he already owned. More impressively, he became the third player to have two 45+ point playoff games before turning 23. The other two? LeBron and Kobe Bryant. Lol.

Warriors-Grizzlies is a renewed series now, tied 1-1. Back in Golden State for Game 3 on Saturday, Curry’s group is favored by seven points and the Grizzlies have the third-lowest odds of all remaining playoff teams to win the championship at +1700 (bet $100 to win $1,700.)