Former NBA champ makes major claim on Austin Reaves' stock compared to Ja Morant

Kendrick Perkins made a shocking claim about Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, comparing his season with LA Lakers star Austin Reaves. While speaking on "NBA on ESPN," Perkins downplayed the Grizzlies' name from among the title contenders.

Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies are the second seed in the Western Conference behind the OKC Thunder. However, the difference remains similar to what the defending champions Boston Celtics had from the second seed in the Eastern Conference last season.

The Grizzlies are 10 losses behind the top-seed Thunder and just one win ahead of the fourth-seed LA Lakers.

For Perkins, the Grizzlies couldn't be a title contender if Jaren Jackson Jr. was their best player over Morant. The 2008 NBA champion suddenly made a twist and claimed that Lakers guard Austin Reaves has had a better season than Morant.

"If you're trying to be a legit title contender, if you're trying to matchup with Denver, trying to go toe-to-toe with Oklahoma City, Jaren Jackson Jr. can't be your best player in a seven-game series. Ja Morant needs to be that guy," Perkins said.

"Ja Morant, honestly, hasn't been that guy all season long, one could argue that Austin Reaves, and I say this respectively, Austin Reaves has had more of a productive season this year than Ja Morant," Perkins added. "If you don't believe me, go look at the numbers."

While Perkins' statement could spark debates, he isn't far away from both statistical and non-statistical reality. This season, Morant is averaging 20.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He is also shooting 44.1% from the field and 31.2% from the 3-point line.

On the other hand, Reaves is averaging 19.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He is shooting 44.6% from the field and 36.0% from the 3-point line.

While statistics do give Morant a slight edge over Reaves, the Lakers player is also the third option on his team compared to Morant, who is the first option. However, reducing Morant to a bad season would be too quick to make a judgment about a player of his caliber.

Ja Morant hilariously hugs Jarrett Allen after getting posterized by the Cavs star

Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen posterized Ja Morant in the end minutes of the Cavs vs Grizzlies intense battle. With less than three minutes remaining in the game, Allen got a pass from Evan Mobly, forcing Jaren Jackson Jr. to switch to him.

With Allen open under the basket, Morant made a quick switch, however, it was too late for the Grizzlies star. Morant jumped to block Allen, but the Cavs center made a poster dunk with Morant still hanging on to him.

When both landed, Morant hugged Allen and started laughing. Allen also got amused by the friendly competition with a big smile on his face.

Take a look at the hilarious video.

The smile on Ja Morant and Grizzlies' faces didn't last for too long as the Cavs went on to win the game and extend their winning streak to seven. The Grizzlies faced their 20th loss of the season following their win against the Orlando Magic.