10 Fun Surprises That Could Happen During the 2024-25 NBA Season | News, results, highlights, statistics and rumors

Zion Williamson and Ja Morant, the first and second picks in the 2019 draft, respectively, were once the talk of the basketball world. But although both have risen to fame, neither has quite reached the threshold of becoming a game changer. In five seasons, they have only achieved a single top-10 finish in MVP voting (Morant was seventh in 2021-22).

For both, the challenge was more about availability than actual performance. If they had been fit every night for the last three seasons, they would have played a total of 492 games. Instead, they hit the hardwood a total of 226 times (99 for Williamson, 127 for Morant). The risk of injury affected both of them, Williamson also had problems with his condition at times and Morant missed the time until the suspension.

They no longer attract as much attention as they once did, due in no small part to the “Out of Sight and Out of Mind” phenomenon. However, they are such outstanding talents that they can still bring the federation to a standstill. Few moments of the 2023-24 season felt more meaningful than Morant’s electric return (a 34-point, eight-assist tour de force punctuated by a game-winner) or Williamson’s dominant performance in the play-in tournament (40 points, 11 rebounds, five). assists) before a hamstring strain forced him off the floor.

With their disappearance behind them, a rise to superstardom could be on the horizon. If the only thing we’re talking about about them this season is basketball, then we’re all talking about brilliance. There is a universe in which both lead their teams to the top four finishes in the West while generating MVP voting support.