Ja Morant is the real deal. The Grizzlies rookie proved it against the Hornets.

In the NBA arena closest to his hometown, Ja Morant hit the first game-winner of his career.

CHARLOTTE – With Terry Rozier squared up on him, the skinny 6-foot-3 guard from Dalzell, South Carolina dribbled the ball through his legs. The clock was winding down, and the game was tied, but Ja Morant was taking his time, waiting for the right moment to strike for the Memphis Grizzlies.

When his teammate Brandon Clarke curled around to the top of the key to Morant’s left, Rozier went to guard Clarke, leaving Cody Martin for Morant. In the brief moment that the defensive switch occurred, Morant saw his opening. He charged past Martin, dribbling with his left hand and keeping Martin at-bay with his right. When Charlotte Hornets’ center Cody Zeller stepped forward to contest his shot, Morant rose up strong with both hands on the ball, eventually lofting it up with his left hand. Miles Bridges couldn’t get a fingertip on the attempt either and the shot – along with the Hornets’ hopes of a win – sank with 0.7 seconds left.

There was a gaggle of fans sitting behind the baseline. Some wore Grizzly blue. Some wore Vancouver throwbacks. One wore a Murray State shirt. Some didn’t sport any fan-identifying clothing. But based on their cheers, it was clear who they were rooting for. They were there to see the 20-year-old kid they called Ja.

After Morant hit the game-winner – his first of his budding NBA career – he adjusted his arm sleeve, stared at them, said some things (which may or may not have included a few four-letter words) and smiled.

“Yea, I’d rather not say though,” Morant said with a laugh after the game, when asked what he said to the crowd.

What Morant uttered is up for debate, but what he proved, what NBA fans took away from the game, is inarguable. Morant is the real deal. He’s a legitimate offensive threat, a dynamic guard, a floor general and a clutch performer. On Wednesday night in the Spectrum Center – the NBA arena closest to his hometown – the No. 2 overall pick showed everyone what he is capable of.

“He’s never too high, never too low, always poised. I love the way he plays the game and I told him that in the preseason,” Rozier said of Morant after the game. “And I’m pretty sure he’s going to keep getting better and keep climbing. He’s a nightmare for the defense. He’s very smart and can find guys. He can play. I’m a fan of his.”

After Morant connected on the game-winning lay-up, he found his father Tee Morant, who was sitting court-side, wearing camo pants, a camo hat and a black vest. They exchanged a few words and a tight hug, but with time still left on the clock and arena security not knowing who Tee Morant was, three ushers stepped in and separated the father-son moment. After the game, Morant told Yahoo Sports that his dad told him he was “trained to go.”

Indeed.

“It just shows you how much he loves the game and how excited he be,” Morant said of his dad. “I looked up and he was at half-court. Like, ‘Bro, your seat is at the baseline.’ But that’s just him. His personality, he’s always hyping up.”

Morant finished the game with 23 points and 11 assists, both of which led the Grizzlies. It was the first double-double of his NBA career, another milestone in what has been a stellar beginning to his rookie campaign. Morant leads all rookies in scoring, assists and field goals made this season. He is also seventh in rebounding among rookies. Out of all the players in the league, he is 11th in fourth quarter scoring.

At 28-years-old, Solomon Hill is one of the few veteran players for this young and rebuilding Grizzlies team. When asked if there was someone he had played with over his seven-year career who Morant reminds him of, he struggled to find an answer.

“His comparison… At the end of the day, he can just be the best Ja he can possibly be,” Hill told HornetMaven at Sports Illustrated. “He’s exciting. Talking about his ability to not only score the ball, but he’s selfless. He’s looking for teammates. He wants guys to knock down shots and get open because he wants to deliver the ball. His play-making ability is showing. You would think that at an early age it would take time to grow, but he lives for the moment.

“He stepped up in a big way tonight, putting his stamp on it and finishing a game that kind of got out of hand for us a little bit, but that’s who he is and that’s who we want him to continue to be.”

(Mitchell Northam / HornetMaven - Sports Illustrated)

What Morant has accomplished so far is even more impressive when it’s considered where he came from.

Dalzell is small South Carolina town just northwest of Sumter, with a population of less than 3,000 people. To say Morant was under-recruited in high school would be a massive understatement. The only people who knew about his basketball talents three years ago were those who were lucky enough to catch a game at Crestwood High School. He was a zero-star recruit and didn’t appear in the vast recruiting databases from ESPN, Rivals or 247sports. Not a single Power 5 program offered him a scholarship. The schools that came calling were nearby Wofford, two MEAC schools in South Carolina State and Maryland Eastern Shore, Duquesne of the A-10 and Murray State of the Ohio Valley Conference.

Morant opted for Murray State and signed with head coach Matt McMahon. He took the OVC by storm and in two short seasons went from being an anonymous prospect to an All-American. In the NCAA tournament last spring, he turned himself into a household name and a candidate for the No. 1 overall pick by dropping a triple-double on Marquette and leading the Racers to a 12-over-5 upset. As a sophomore, he led all of NCAA Division I men’s basketball with 10 assists per-game and also averaged 24.5 points and 5.7 boards per-game. His production and his highlights could no longer be ignored.

But coming from a small town and grinding away just to get noticed by a mid-major helped shape Morant. At Murray State, he was the alpha dog and the leader right away. The Racers were going to go as far as he took them. And while he’s just a rookie, he’s in that same situation with the Grizzlies. Despite the team's 4-7 record so far this season, Morant has done far more than what was expected him.

“I think that’s a testament to his upbringing and his experience at Murray State, and then the coaching staff just putting him in a position to be successful,” Hill said of Morant. “But at the end of the day, you have to be ready for that moment, and he’s done a really good job since being drafted of preparing himself for moments like this.”

In talking about Morant as a leader, Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said: “I think he’s taken big steps. He’s learning so much right now… (We’re) empowering him to be that floor general and find his voice on the floor. He obviously sees the game at a very high level.”

(Mitchell Northam / HornetMaven - Sports Illustrated)

The Grizzlies trailed by as much as 12 points in the second half , but clawed all the way back to retake the lead. When the game was tied at 117-117 with 15.7 seconds to play, Jenkins really only had one realistic choice when drawing up a play. The ball had to get in the hands of the Grizzlies’ most creative play-maker, their smartest decision maker, the one with crafty handles, an elusive crossover and a nose for the rim.

“(We tried) to put Ja in a position where he could attack one-on-one to score,” Jenkins said. “Maybe make a play for someone else and then have Brandon Clarke go crash the offensive boards.”

Clarke’s services weren’t needed. The Hornets switched, Morant attacked, the ball kissed the backboard, took a few friendly bounces along the rim and fell through the hoop. And the small collection of Grizzlies fans went wild.

“I definitely heard the support,” Morant said. “I didn’t get a chance to look around and stuff. I was focused on the game. But to have them come out and show support here, two hours away, that’s love.”

After starting out 1-5, the Grizzlies have now won back-to-back road games, and Morant has played well. They’re learning each other, building chemistry and getting a real taste of what victory is like.

“We all just locked in, competed and just played together. We got some stops and turned it into offense,” Morant said of the win over the Hornets. “It’s given us confidence and showed us what winning feels like.

“We all have this mindset now where we just go out and fight.”

If there’s one thing Morant does best, no matter the circumstances, it’s that. Disregard whatever the odds are. This kid from South Carolina is going to fight, and most of the time, he’s going to win.