Jefferson Believes Ja Morant's Hesitance Hurts His Legacy

In terms of natural star quality, it is hard to get past Morant. He ticks all the boxes for being a superstar because he has the talent, role, and all the qualities of being a star.

With LeBron James getting deeper into his 40s and Stephen Curry getting older, the NBA needs more young players to step up and become the faces of the league. Morant is one of the best candidates, but he is hesitant to accept it.

Jefferson Likens Morant's Hesitance to Iverson's

During the mid-1990s, the NBA saw a new superstar enter their ranks. That was Allen Iverson, the number one overall pick of the 1996 NBA Draft. He was a phenom because he was such a natural star with his diminutive size not preventing him from being a star.

Iverson became a natural superstar, but he never truly became the league's face. It was mostly because of Iverson hesitating on being the successor to players like Michael Jordan. That left the door open for fellow 1996 draftee Kobe Bryant to take over and become the league's face.

Former champion-turned-analyst Richard Jefferson spoke about Morant and to a certain extent, Anthony Edwards. They are the two players who can become the faces of the league after James and Curry. However, they are quite hesitant with their approach.

"Do you remember that era after MJ, the Kobe-Shaq, there was a counter-culture going on. There was a push-back of MJ and the OGs, and who showed up? Allen Iverson. He said I don't want to be the face," Jefferson said on the Road Trippin' Show.

"Practice? Nah, I'm hooping. I'm doing it the way I want to do it. I don't care, and we love AI for that. If you ask me, from a counter-culture standpoint, they would go to AI and ask why are you not wearing suits like MJ? He said that's not who I am."

"What I see from Ja Morant and Anthony Edwards, they're more Allen Iverson... That's the energy I see from them and I don't fault them... But somebody's gonna come along, the Kobe Bryant is going to come along, and all of a sudden Kobe's got five championships like the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander."

The Most Dedicated Stars Often Succeeds More

The NBA is filled with awesome players who are dedicated to their craft. However, throughout the history of this league, there are some players who are obsessed with working hard. Jordan and Bryant immediately come to mind.

They have become the gold standard for succeeding in the league. However, some players do not have that kind of approach. The players work hard, but they are not as obsessive.

Morant and Edwards are that kind of player according to Jefferson. It would be natural for them to take over, but they might not be the right mold when it comes to the face of the league like Jordan, Bryant, James, and Curry.