LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The first three baskets of Memphis’ season set the tone for Ja Morant’s rookie year.
All were layups, all by him, the level of difficulty increasing each time.He made them look easy that night. He made plenty look easy all season.Morant was announced Thursday as the runaway winner of the rookie of the year award for 2019-20, the first Grizzlies player to win the award since Pau Gasol in 2001-02.
Morant averaged 17.8 points and 7.3 assists this season, picking up three Western Conference rookie of the month awards along the way.“It's a blessing, definitely an honor," Morant said in the televised announcement of the award on TNT. “I put a lot of work in day in and day out.