Warriors' Draymond Green: Ja Morant Should Be Mentioned More in NBA MVP Conversation

Ja Morant has a fan in Draymond Green.

The Golden State Warriors forward said Morant deserves to be in the MVP conversation during the latest episode of his podcast (15:45 mark):  

"“Hell no, Ja is not going to get Most Improved. Miles Bridges should get Most Improved."

"“The reason I don’t think Ja should get Most Improved is because Ja this year didn’t just become Ja. We knew last year Ja was serious. We knew he was gonna be a force to be reckoned with. Now, has he improved? Absolutely. You can tell he lives in the gym and works on his game—he’s 100 percent improved. What I love most is those guys on that team follow him. They follow his demeanor. He leads that team and that organization, and that’s what I appreciate most about Ja Morant. "

"“But when I say ‘hell no’ about the MIP conversation—Ja, in my opinion, Ja has already passed that. Let’s talk about the MVP conversation. That’s the category that I personally feel like Ja Morant needs to be mentioned more in. He is playing at an MVP-level, All-Star starter, all of those things, he is at that level."

Morant is averaging 24.7 points, 6.9 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game, leading the Grizzlies to a 31-16 record and putting them in third place in the Western Conference. His ascent to bonafide superstar has helped propel a young Grizzlies roster to relevance in what's turned out to be a wide-open West.

Morant even got into it with Green's Warriors teammates during a 29-point effort in a 116-108 win over Golden State last week. Green said he would have had some words with Morant if he were available for the game—he's been out with a calf injury—but appreciated his toughness.