NBA Rookie of the Year 2020 : Ja Morant wins NBA Rookie of the Year award in landslide

NBA Rookie of the Year 2020: Memphis Grizzlies’ #2 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft has won the 2019-20 NBA Rookie of the Year award. The 21-year-old garnered X first-place votes.

This season’s NBA Rookie of the Year award was a foregone conclusion through the start of the year 2020. #1 pick Zion Williamson hadn’t featured in a single game at that point. Ja Morant was tearing it up and the Memphis Grizzlies were in 8th spot in the Western Conference.

Morant finished with season averages of 17.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game. If it weren’t for injury to pick-and-roll partner Jaren Jackson Jr, Morant would probably be playing in the playoffs. Despite suffering a thumb injury during the NBA restart, Morant dropped 35 points in the play-in game vs the Trail Blazers.

There are few guards in the NBA with Morant’s athleticism and playmaking skills. From hoop to hoop, Morant is right there with the likes of John Wall, De’Aaron Fox and Russell Westbrook as one of the fastest guards in the league. Morant’s ball-handling skills are not just pleasing to the eye, they’re also surprisingly effective.

If Morant could improve his 3-point shooting and jump shooting, he would become even more unguardable than he already is. There is no reason why Morant cannot be an All Star in a couple of seasons, and there seems to be an assists title in his future as well.

About the author

Amulya Shekhar

Amulya Shekhar is a sports junkie who thrives on the thrills and frills of live sports action across basketball, football (the American variant works too), parkour, adventure sports. He believes sports connect us to our best selves, and he hopes to help people experience sports more holistically.

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