Memphis guard Ja Morant selected NBA’s rookie of the year

Memphis guard Ja Morant, who led the Grizzlies to the edge of the Western Conference playoffs, has been chosen the NBA’s rookie of the year, the league announced Thursday.

Morant received 99 of the 100 possible first-place votes after averaging 17.8 points, 7.3 assists and 3.9 rebounds, taking his team all the way to the league’s first-ever playoff play-in tournament. Zion Williamson, the top pick in the 2019 draft, received the other first-place vote, finishing third overall.

Miami rookie guard Kendrick Nunn finished second in the voting, and Morant’s teammate, forward Brandon Clarke, finished fourth.

The Grizzlies selected Morant with the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft after he played two seasons at Murray State. Soon after taking him, the Grizzlies traded veteran point guard Mike Conley to Utah, clearing the way for Morant’s rookie year, when the Grizzlies went 34-39.