After the outbreak in the first week of the season, 12 questions about Ja-Morant

Ja-Morant is making the leap of a superstar in front of the world.

Every six months or so, Morant sends out a reminder letter reminding himself that he should be hailed as one of the future successors of the NBA. Morant finished second in the 2019 NBA Draft, behind the much-hyped Cairn Williamson. He became Rookie of the Year with his explosive scoring ability and unobtrusive style of play on a par with Derrick Rose, who won the MVP season.

Last spring, Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies beat the Golden State Warriors in the game to win their play-offs and first game of the first round against the West's top seed, the Utah Jazz. They fought hard for the rest of the series, far more than most people thought they expected as a playoff team.

In His third season in the league, In just one week since Morant joined the league, Morant has become the protagonist of the story. He scored 37 points in his season-opening win against the Cleveland Cavaliers by the Memphis Grizzlies before scoring 40 points and 10 assists in Tuesday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Morant had a chance to become an All-Star in his second season. Thanks to his honor of leading the Grizzlies to the playoffs, and some great performances against the strong teams at the beginning of the season, he will always be able to complete the jump to the All-Star this season.

On the face of it, the unprecedented attention paid to Morant hasn't affected him, and he personally doesn't seem to be much interested in hype. Although he is one of the most active young stars on social media, he has always publicly stated that he does not like social media.

Morant's path to fame in the NBA is a good fit with the Grizzlies' team culture, and their progress far exceeds everyone's expectations. Morant is from Murray State University and is located in a small and medium-sized league. But there, he successfully proved himself with his performances on the pitch. At the same time, he did the same in Memphis.

On Wednesday morning, before the Grizzlies lost 116-96 to the Portland Trail Blazers, "Open-Air Stand Sports" interviewed Morant on the Grizzlies' shooting training ground to interview him about his hot start to the year, his dislike of social media and his expectations for the young team.

B/r: How have you been this week? From the previous explosive game against the Lakers to now being an NBA guest at Espn, it feels like you're the darling of the entire league.

Morant: As far as I'm concerned, I don't really care much about that. I care more about what I and my team should do. The next game or the next practice, whatever it is, is my focus to prepare for the win with all my might.

B/r: Don't you feel like everyone is paying attention to you?

Morant: I mean I feel the attention from the outside world, but I don't care too much about it. I've got the recognition I deserve. But the way I play is the way I play is what makes me get my current results.

b/r: Obviously you've put a lot of effort off the field this year, is projection your focus this year? You made five three-pointers in a Lakers game, will that be your regular scoring tool in the game?

Morant: I just made a corresponding resolution to the opponent's defense. In the game against the Lakers, the defenders were getting farther and farther away from me, so I responded with more determined shots.

B/r: I also want to ask you one thing, you're really good at using social media, but you tweeted in July that if you can't really leave social media, you should get rid of it. Do you still think that way?

Morant: That's still my point. I just do something on Twitter, Instagram to attract my followers. That's all, I don't really care much about it.

b/r: But you're really good at that. I remember when you were fighting and tug-of-war with Stephen Curry, and people were trying to amplify it to attract the attention of public opinion, you took out a screenshot of your own Twitter as a child and said that you were a huge fan of him when you were a kid and enjoyed it.

Morant: The web is not real life. People just hide behind keyboards and say whatever they want. I do this because the world is the way it is now.

b/r: What are your overall expectations for this team this year? What are the goals you set for yourself?

Morant: Overall champion. This is our constant goal.

b/r: I saw a team like last year's Eagles, they were also a young team, they were thought to be a marginal team in the playoffs, but they made an unexpected progression to the division finals. Is this the team you're looking for? Would you say"Why can't it be us?"

MORANT: No. I just focus on us. I wouldn't take the standards of other teams as an expectation for our team. We just need to focus on ourselves. We gained some experience by playing against the Jazz in the playoffs, and that's accomplished what we set out at the beginning of the season. We have to apply that experience to this season's game.

b/r: what's the biggest difference between last year's team and this year's team?

b/r: What is the biggest change in the team this year compared to last year?

Morant: The chemistry and experience of the team, that's probably the biggest change.

b/r: How did Steven Adams adapt?

Morant: You can see it on the pitch too. He scored for us on the inside and protected rebounds, and he was also very good at passing. He now averages four or five assists per game for us. As a center, this is rare.

b/r: The return of Jarren Jackson Jr. will also be huge for you guys. He only played 11 games last year. How much progress can you make if he stays healthy all year round?

Morant: Of course he can make us better. He can do everything on the court, he can stretch out space, he can score on the inside, he can play small interiors, he can break big players, blocks, rebounds. He can do a lot of things on the pitch. All in all, he can make us a better team.

b/r: Finally, when you see what you're capable of or want to get better, is there someone in the league who, maybe he's your age, is your goal of catching up and competing?

Morant: Jay–Morant

b/r: Is that it? No one else?

MORANT: That's my answer. It is also the only answer. I'm not going to compare myself to anyone in the league. I only focus on myself. Do you know what I think?