RealGM

Ja Morant remains the clear frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, receiving all 70 votes from media members in a straw poll conducted by ESPN.

Morant is averaging 17.6 points and 6.9 assists per game.

Zion Williamson, who missed the first few months of the season, is averaging 23.6 points per game on 58.9 percent shooting. Williamson received 51 of the 70 second place votes along with 11 third place selections.

Kendrick Nunn finished third in the poll.

Via Tim Bontemps/ESPN

Sounds about right. Morant is legit.

Rek wrote:Sounds about right. Morant is legit.

Dude, he ain't close to the level Zion has played at. Yeah it's only 19 games but that really shouldn't matter IMO. He's the rookie of the year hands down. He's having one of the best rookie years ever infact and the best teenage rookie year which is amazing coming off injury to pick it up mid season and do what he's done with essentially no preseason, out of shape etc.

This is completely preposterous. Greatest rookie seasons ever by PER....

28.0 Wilt........23 years old
26.3 Bellamy.....22 years old
26.3 Robinson....24 years old
25.9 Oscar........22 years old
25.8 Jordan.......21 years old
24.7 Sabonis......31 years old
24.2 Zion..........19 years old
24.1 Embid.........22 years old
23.6 Baylor.........24 years old
22.9 Shaq..........20 years old

One is not like the others and I think had he never been injuried in preseason that would have been even higher and that had to set him back not benefit him so I ignore that it's only 19 games when the most anyone played this year was 59 or whatever.

12footrim wrote:

Rek wrote:Sounds about right. Morant is legit.

Dude, he ain't close to the level Zion has played at. Yeah it's only 19 games but that really shouldn't matter IMO. He's the rookie of the year hands down. He's having one of the best rookie years ever infact and the best teenage rookie year which is amazing coming off injury to pick it up mid season and do what he's done with essentially no preseason, out of shape etc.

.

Giving the award to a guy that played 19 games would be an absolute joke. Obviously, he would be deserving if he had played more but he didn't.

23artest23 wrote:

12footrim wrote:

Rek wrote:Sounds about right. Morant is legit.

Dude, he ain't close to the level Zion has played at. Yeah it's only 19 games but that really shouldn't matter IMO. He's the rookie of the year hands down. He's having one of the best rookie years ever infact and the best teenage rookie year which is amazing coming off injury to pick it up mid season and do what he's done with essentially no preseason, out of shape etc.

.

Giving the award to a guy that played 19 games would be an absolute joke. Obviously, he would be deserving if he had played more but he didn't.

Morant played 59 games and accumulated 3.4 win shares. Zion accumulated 1.8 in 19 games. He's simply a more valuable player and considering the circumstances of this season I think it's easier to over look 19 games vs 59. That's a solid 3rd of the season he's played. You can easily see what he is in that amount of time and it's really not even close the impact each is having on the court. It's a joke not to give it to the best player honestly when it's all subjective anyway and there is not games limits.

12footrim wrote:

23artest23 wrote:

12footrim wrote:
Dude, he ain't close to the level Zion has played at. Yeah it's only 19 games but that really shouldn't matter IMO. He's the rookie of the year hands down. He's having one of the best rookie years ever infact and the best teenage rookie year which is amazing coming off injury to pick it up mid season and do what he's done with essentially no preseason, out of shape etc.

.

Giving the award to a guy that played 19 games would be an absolute joke. Obviously, he would be deserving if he had played more but he didn't.

Morant played 59 games and accumulated 3.4 win shares. Zion accumulated 1.8 in 19 games. He's simply a more valuable player and considering the circumstances of this season I think it's easier to over look 19 games vs 59. That's a solid 3rd of the season he's played. You can easily see what he is in that amount of time and it's really not even close the impact each is having on the court. It's a joke not to give it to the best player honestly when it's all subjective anyway and there is not games limits.

I don't dispute Zion looked better and was more impressive as that is absolutely the case. Despite that, it would be an absolute joke and travesty to give the award to Zion considering he played a third of the shortened season. If Morant hadn't played as well as he did, it wouldn't be such a travesty to award it to Zion but Morant did play really well and was an integral part in turning the Grizz around. Giving the award to a guy that had great averages over 19 games versus the season long good play from Morant would be flat wrong. If Zion had managed 40 games, I'd have no issue with it and doubt many others would either but he didn't. He managed just 19 games whereas Morant did his work for 3x that and then some. We are talking about Rookie of the YEAR and with that considered, Zion isn't even a candidate. He didn't play the year...he didn't play half the year...he played about a third of it.