Morant is only 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 meters) tall and weighs 175 pounds (79 kilograms), but he is indeed a master scorer in the box among guards. He looks thin and likes to score under the basket. Morant's box scoring is comparable to the league's top big man, and he ranks seventh in the league in box scoring this season. He is a master of the penalty area in the defender, and storming the box is his killing move.
Practice throwing away the forbidden area
Those who are good at scoring in the box are usually inside players, who are closer to the basket and have a long height and arms, making it easier to score in the box. It's not easy for a defender to be a scorer in the box, they need to have some qualities to be a breakthrough master. Tony Parker was also a master scorer in the box, including one season when he was at the top of the league. But Tony Parker then slipped in the box.
Defenders attacking the inside means that there will be more physical contact, which is also a certain amount of wear and damage to their own body. Especially in today's league advocating three-point offense, most of the guard players are focused on improving three-point firepower, and the offense is more focused on the outside.
Morant became a scorer in the box because he has excellent explosiveness, superb technique, and excellent feel.
Morant is on the thin side, but his explosiveness is excellent, his bouncing ability is strong, he is a dunk master, and he often puts on wonderful dunks in games. Morant has also developed excellent ball control skills, and can avoid opponents' defenses by changing direction during rapid dribbling breakthroughs. He can walk like a cheetah through the forbidden area full of people, tearing the opponent's defense. Let's take a look at how Morant, who is 1.91 meters tall, has become a scorer in the box on a par with many other big men.
Morant often shows a combination of explosiveness, skill, and feel in brilliant dunks, which makes him such a unique force in the box.
"People look at those great moves, but it's one game or every two games," Grizzlies player Bane said of Morant's brilliant dunk. Back on November 12, the Grizzlies beat the Timberwolves 114-103. Morant scored 28 points, 20 of which were in the box.
Morant used center Steven Adams to cover near the left sideline, about 30 feet from the basket, an NBA version of a right volley. Timberwolves guard Edwards was blocked, giving Morant the opportunity to go straight inside and face Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert alone.
Morant maintained a constant pace as he dribbled in front of the court, seemingly waiting for the right moment to accelerate. Gobert tries to stay at arm's length with Morant, but is most concerned about protecting the basket and guarding against potential backdoor cuts and the threat of Morant's offense.
"Obviously, he's very athletic and a very cunning finisher, but he's really good at passing," Gobert said, "and when the person who has the ball in hand most of the time can find an empty player, that's the difference between a good guy and a good guy." ”
When Morant crossed the free throw line, Gobert gave too much cushioning. Morant jumped up — up, up, up — and then threw a right-handed throw, just above the three-time defensive player of the year's outstretched arm, whizzing the ball in.
"That's his housekeeping skills. He jumps higher than you and he feels good in his hands. It's hard to defend. Bane said.
Throwing is often seen as an inefficient way to shoot. But this is another trick that elite defenders must practice. At that time, Tony Parker used to make a living in the restricted area, just by throwing. The top point guards in the league today, Paul and Curry, are also good at throwing offense. Throwing has high requirements for the feel of the player. Paul used to practice his feel by bowling. Morant has the third highest number of free throw shots in the league this season.
Not afraid of confrontation, good at making 2+1
According to the NBA's official website, Morant shot 44.7 percent from the field last season from the field in his 215 free throws, while averaging 16.6 points per game in the box. He shot 40.7 percent from the field from the field on 91 free throws this season, and he averaged 14.5 points per game in the box, seventh in the league.
Throwing is one of the tricks that small players use against big men. When Morant finds a comfortable space, it pays off to use a toss, such as shooting in front of Gobert.
"It saves me from making physical contact every time," Morant said, "to be able to shoot before I get into the big guy." ”
Morant used a feint at the top of the three-point line arc and then went right to left to get the ball through between his legs while he faced Timberwolves forward McDaniels.
Morant waved not to have Adams come up to cover. He was happy to play one-on-one with McDaniels. Morant stepped on the gas pedal with a little over four minutes left in the first quarter.
He broke through from the left side, and Morant's 61.4 percent of breakthroughs were on the left, ranking eighth among 58 players who have broken through more than 200 times this season.
Morant faced McDaniels and Adams blocked Towns in the box to prevent any assist. McDaniels, who averages 1.2 blocks per game, is still good to challenge Morant from behind with his height advantage.
However, Morant used a left-footed take-off, jumping from his left foot instead of his right, placing the ball on the rebound a split second faster than McDaniels' rising hand. It's one of a variety of layups Morant tries in individual training, and he's comfortable with layups in either hand, actually using his left hand for layups this season and has a higher percentage (57.7%).
Morant said: "I can't just rely on dunks in every game, so I have to have different types of finishing modes to make my shots successful. "That's what Morant is great at, he has so many ways to finish offense at the basket, he can decide what kind of way to use to score.
In another duel midway through the second quarter, Morant received the ball on the right wing and blocked Adams. Edwards crossed the cover and blocked Morant in front of him. Morant stopped and pressed Edwards on his back and essentially disengaged from the game, looking at the floor as he dribbled.
Morant observes the position of Timberwolves guard Forbes and center Downs. Grizzlies player Conchar reopened space along the arc, and Forbes nervously took a few steps in that direction, giving Morant his expected travel path.
Morant dribbled forward to crash Downs, swapping the ball from right to left in mid-air, and finally passed a 2.13m player, Downs waved his arms and tried to create an offensive foul. But he didn't move as fast as Morant, was blown for a defensive foul, and Morant played 2+1.
"He now has an incredible ability to study what the team has done to him and know in advance." Grizzlies coach Jenkins said.
The penalty area often chops high scores to chase Wade
With less than seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, Forbes faced Morant on the right wing. Forbes surrounded him, and Morant flew past him with ease. Towns and McDaniels are back, both waiting on the inside for the little defender who made them look silly earlier in the game. Morant is no problem, it's time to play some tricks.
Morant used a feint near the box, and when Downs and McDaniels made a concerted effort to pounce on Morant, Morant lowered his body and forced a layup through the defensive gap.
"Morant somehow found a way to get through those cracks, whether it was pivoting or jumping over people or anything," Bane said, "and he got thinner in those cracks." ”
Four minutes later, the Grizzlies put an end to the victory as Adams set up another high cover for Morant. Edwards was lazily thrown off this time, and Morant rushed towards Downs, and just before the free throw line, Morant suddenly changed direction smoothly and put the ball in his left hand. Once again, Downs was in trouble.
"When he attacks, he doesn't lose his balance and can always hit back," Adams said, "and some people when they're attacking, once they get in that direction, it's hard to back down." He's always balanced, so he always has the option to switch angles, you know what I mean? That's too hard to prevent. ”
Some players break through and only go straight in one direction and like to be reckless. Wei Shao is this style, he can beat his opponents with speed and explosiveness when he is young. But after getting older and the athleticism declines, the offensive efficiency decreases. Morant can make adjustments according to the situation during the breakthrough process, such as changing direction or changing hands to attack.
When Morant broke through on the left, Towns bumped into him and received his sixth foul. The touch threw Morant off balance, and the 12 on the back of his jersey was almost parallel to the floor, but Morant magically switched the ball to his right hand and tossed the ball towards the rebound. As Morant lay on the line, the ball rolled around the basket. It was another 2+1 for Morant and one of the best goals of the game.
As fans at the Grizzlies' home court descended into madness, Morant sat up and bent his sturdy arms to celebrate his wonderful goal. This kind of offensive method was polished by Morant's hard training. "He definitely has a lot of moments that fascinate you, but that doesn't surprise you because you wish he could do that. He always makes a difference. Grizzlies coach Jenkins said.
Over the past 25 seasons, guards have scored more than 20 points in a single game, with Wade, who has retired, ranked first with 56 times, Wei Shao second with 54 times, Kobe Bryant third with 39 times, and Morant fourth with 37 times. You know, Morant has only played for more than 3 seasons. With Morant's momentum, it is only natural to surpass Wade in the future.
In the box scoring list this season, Alphabet ranked first in the box with 19.1 points per game, Zion second with 18.7 points, Thick Eyebrow Brother third with 17.3 points, Alexander and Jokic fourth with 14.9 points, Adebayo sixth with 14.7 points, and Morant seventh with 14.5 points. It is worth mentioning that the first six players are all over 1.98 meters tall, while Morant is only 1.91 meters tall. Morant dared to compete with the big men and became a master scorer in the box, and the Grizzlies now have a record of second place in the West.