Memphis Zoo baby giraffe ‘Ja Raffe’ named after Grizzlies’ Ja Morant, Klay Thompson tears Achilles, and more sports news

Ja Morant’s presence in Memphis has given the fans a renewed hope for the future to the point where they’ve named a giraffe after him.

Born Nov. 10th, “Ja Raffe” was officially given a name Thursday morning, and the Grizzlies point guard approved.

Ja Raffe was named in honor of Morant winning NBA Rookie of the Year, and the baby giraffe will be at the Memphis Zoo.

Now we wait on the moment where the two Ja’s cross paths. Morant’s best bet is for it to happen sooner than later. A baby giraffe’s height is estimated to be about six feet, but a fully grown giraffe is more than twice as tall.

Golden State’s plan was for last year to be a one-season gap and to return back to the group of elites, but that task may be harder now.

Shortly before the NBA draft, reports swirled about Klay Thompson suffering a lower leg injury, and the general sense wasn’t positive. ESPN confirmed that Thompson suffered a torn Achilles that’ll sideline him for the 2020-21 season.

Thompson has never missed more than nine games in a season during his first eight years. After suffering a torn ACL in the 2019 NBA finals, he missed the following season, and now he’ll miss another.

Thompson is one of the best shooters the NBA has ever seen, and it’s a crippling blow not only to Golden State but to the NBA’s product. The Western Conference will be as good as usual, but many people were looking forward to Golden State’s return.

Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green and Wednesday’s No. 2 pick James Wiseman will lead the fort now. It’s still hard to imagine Golden State playing without Thompson, even though it’ll be the second consecutive season.

Golden State’s five-year run is one of the most dominant stretches we have ever seen. Thompson’s injury hurts the chances of a second run. Curry will be 33 the next time Thompson is expected to play, and Draymond Green will be 31. The chances of a reboot dynasty are decreasing.

Shortly after the NBA draft, Myles Powell’s name was trending on Twitter. Many people couldn’t figure out how the All-American guard from Seton Hall went undrafted.

He had his pick of choices afterward and decided he’ll be playing with the New York Knicks.

Powell averaged 21.0 points last season and won Big East Player of the Year. His scoring ability was well-documented, and it led to lots of winning. Seton Hall made the tournament in his first three seasons and would’ve qualified his senior year.

Powell is undersized at 6-2 for a scoring guard, and that may have led to him going undrafted. From Lou Williams to Avery Bradley and CJ McCollum, there are examples throughout the NBA of successful undersized shooting guards, and he could be the next.