An analyst claimed that Jalen Brunson is better than Ja Morant, prompting a fiery response from fans.
Ja Morant has seen his reputation off the court take a hit in recent months, but that seems to be spilling onto his reputation on the court. The Volume’s Jason Timpf argued that Jalen Brunson is a better player right now than Morant, intentionally disregarding Morant’s higher ceiling to emphasize his point about their s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 sets right now.
“Ja Morant is gonna be better than Brunson because he has too much natural ability. But here’s the reality. Right now, Jalen Brunson is a devastating playoff performer. He led them to a win against the Cavs, the guy who damn near beat the Heat in Game 6 and pushed it to Game 7. Jalen Brunson right now is flat-out a better basketball player than Ja Morant.”
Brunson has closed the gap with Morant this season, but at no point, including Morant’s rookie season, was Brunson better than him as a player. This was his breakout season after spending his first four years as a rotational option in Dallas until he emerged as a valuable player during the 2021-22 season.
Morant has been leading the Grizzlies to the playoffs since his sophomore season and was on track for an All-NBA selection before controversies sidetracked his season. Brunson is definitely much closer to Morant in terms of talent right now than people would have assumed last summer, but we can’t say he’s better.
NBA Fans Are Not Happy With The Take
Some of the most aggressive responses to the take came on X/Twitter, as fans were roasting the take relentlessly.
One fan said that the Knicks would be in the Finals if they swapped out Brunson for Morant.
Another fan used a hilarious clip to emphasize that Brunson could be better than Morant at a whole bunch of things, but not basketball.
Some Knicks fans decided to walk away happy by looking at the positives of Brunson being put into such conversations.
More fans pointed out how Team USA pointed out flaws in Brunson’s game that we haven’t seen with Morant.
A fan compared Morant and Brunson’s playoff stats to show that Morant has been better regardless of the situation you put them in.
More fans called the comparison asinine.
Fans are going in a little too hard on Timpf. While I do not agree with his point, I do see the base for an argument. Brunson raised the Knicks’ floor tremendously by joining last season, but that doesn’t make him a generational talent.
Morant could be the best player on a title-winning team and he has proven that through the first four years of his career. Even without projecting for the future, we can say Morant is ahead of Brunson right now.
What Does A Statistical Comparison Reveal?
Taking the overall stats of both the players will reveal an incomplete picture, as Brunson came into the NBA as a second-round pick and took a while to find his role on the Mavericks. The Grizzlies literally traded franchise legend Mike Conley away to accommodate Ja after the 2019 Draft, so he’s been the No. 1 option his entire time with the franchise.
In the last two seasons, Brunson has averaged 19.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5.4 assists while Morant has averaged 26.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. Even the playoffs don’t shine all that heavily for Brunson, having averaged 20.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in the postseason while Morant is averaging 27.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 8.6 assists.
The basic stats clearly show Morant has been more impactful as a scorer, rebounder, and especially a playmaker. Both these players are point guards but serve different purposes, so comparing them is fruitless until we see them in somewhat comparable situations.
