Stylistically, it’d be hard to find two point guards more different than Ja Morant and Steph Curry. The former is an elite athlete that lives in the paint and makes his money finishing at the rim, typically in highlight fashion. The latter is the greatest and most unique shooter the league has ever and possibly will ever see.
But Jarred Vanderbilt has taken the assignment of defending them each this postseason and, at least through one game in the series against the Warriors, has found success against both. In Tuesday’s Game 1, Vanderbilt asked for and received the task of defending Steph, a mission that resembles something close to a marathon sprint around the court than a typical defensive assignment.