Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton is trying to prepare his team for the Ja Morant show in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and he’s doing it with some pretty high praise.
Hamilton compared Morant to a series of NBA icons, even name-dropping Magic Johnson in comparing their ability to find joy in creating scoring opportunities for teammates.
“What I notice is he’s one of the most exceptional players that I’ve had a chance to watch play,” Hamilton said Friday, via Myron Medcalf of ESPN. “He’s kind of a throwback to guys who have the ability to score points. But [he] also has the passion and the excitement about creating opportunities for his teammates, guys like a Nate Archibald who can lead the NBA in scoring and lead in assists at the same time. A guy like Magic Johnson, who got so much joy making the game easy for his teammates. Even a player like Muggsy Bogues, who has an uncanny way of making things easy for his [teammates].”
Obviously, Hamilton isn’t saying Morant is the next Magic. But given how much he influenced Murray State’s first-round upset of Marquette with his passing and creating, there is something to be said for their comparative impact on the teams they played on. Oh, and he can dunk, too. The Seminoles, despite being favorites, will have their hands full with Morant and company on Saturday.
