NBA Rookie of the Year Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies was the leading vote getter for the 2019-20 All-Rookie first team, the league announced Tuesday.
Morant received 200 points in the voting among sportswriters and broadcasters. He was just ahead of Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nunn (197 points), who was also on the first team. Rounding out the five-player squad was Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke, New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson and Golden State Warriors forward Eric Paschall.
The 21-year-old Morant, a Murray State product who was the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft, averaged 17.8 points, 7.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds in 67 regular-season games. He shot 47.7 percent from the field and 33.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Nunn, who played in the NBA G League last season, averaged 15.3 points and 3.3 assists in 67 games. Clarke, the No. 21 overall selection, averaged 12.1 points and 5.9 rebounds; Williamson, the No. 1 overall selection, averaged 22.5 points with 6.3 rebounds in just 24 games; while Paschall, a second-round selection, averaged 14.0 points with 4.6 rebounds.
It was the first time the Grizzlies placed two players on the first team since Pau Gasol and Shane Battier earned the honors in the 2001-02 season. Nunn was the first Heat player to earn first-team rookie honors since Michael Beasley in 2008-09.
The all-rookie second team included three guards: Tyler Herro of the Heat, Terence Davis II of the Toronto Raptors and Coby White of the Chicago Bulls. Two forwards named to the second team were P.J. Washington of the Charlotte Hornets and Rui Hachimura of the Washington Wizards.
Only games before the stoppage of play in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic were considered. Not all teams were included in the league’s restart just outside of Orlando, Fla.
–Field Level Media
