Warriors' Stephen Curry Praises 'Gamer' Ja Morant Ahead of 1st Matchup Ever

Rob Goldberg @@TheRobGoldbergFeatured Columnist IVMay 16, 2021

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) brings the ball up court in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings Thursday, May 13, 2021, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

AP Photo/Brandon Dill

It took nearly two full seasons in the NBA for Ja Morant to face Stephen Curry head-to-head, but Curry thinks highly of the young point guard:

Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater
It's the first Steph Curry vs Ja Morant matchup ever tomorrow. Curry on Morant: "Super athletic. Super crafty. Very confident. Just seems like a gamer who loves competition. We had some fun on social media back in the day." pic.twitter.com/e4ChLz3BSa

Morant is already one of the most exciting players in the NBA, winning the Rookie of the Year award last year before improving his numbers in 2020-21. He enters the final game of the year with averages of 19.2 points and 7.4 assists per game for the Memphis Grizzlies.

Fans are still yet to see him match up against Curry, who was injured most of last season with a broken hand and missed the two games against Memphis this year with a tailbone injury.

The Golden State Warriors star also mentioned a social media spat between the two, which featured an argument over Andre Iguodala after the veteran refused to play for the Grizzlies last season:

Rachel Nichols @Rachel__Nichols
AND NOW STEPH CHIMING IN: pic.twitter.com/fhxnREa48u

Now in Sunday's regular-season finale, Curry will finally take on Morant in what could be an exciting offensive showdown.

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Morant indicated he is ready on Instagram:

Evan Barnes〽️ @evan_b
Ja Morant last night on Instagram. He’s ready. pic.twitter.com/3h9D2p6xRg

The game will determine the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference, which will determine the path for each team in the play-in tournament.