2019 NBA Mock Draft: Getting familiar with the top of the 2019 class

Ja Morant is everywhere. Adding up assist percentage and usage rate is not a foolproof way of showing efficiency or productivity for a basketball player but it can be an effective way of showing the magnitude of impact a player has on his team possession to possession. Total those numbers for Morant, and you realize 87 percent of Murray State’s possessions end in a score, assist or turnover by Morant. Insane.

The craziest part of that computation isn’t even the final number. It’s that turnovers play hardly any role at all in the math. Morant has turned the ball over just 49 times this year — only 3.1 per 40 minutes — compared with 112 assists. That’s an elite mark for someone who has the ball in his hands constantly and plays as fearlessly as Murray State’s lead creator.

The sophomore, who would be just 20 as a rookie next season, burst onto the scene for the Racers right away but gained national attention with a 38-9-5 showing against Alabama and an efficient 25-8-7 finesse at Auburn. Kevin Durant recently said of Morant, “he’s pretty good.” For the notoriously reserved Durant, even notice is a gift. The flashy guard with an elite first step could jump into the top three by draft day as front office executives start to say what Durant loves about Morant.