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Via ESPN.com:
Memphis Grizzlies All-NBA guard Ja Morant has agreed to a five-year designated rookie extension that’ll likely be worth $231 million, his agent, Jim Tanner of Tandem/YouFirst Sports, told ESPN.
Morant, who made All-NBA Second Team, is guaranteed $193 million and will trigger supermax escalators to take the deal to $231 million upon again landing on one of the league’s three All-NBA teams.
The deal also includes a 15% trade kicker, Tanner said.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant exited during the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals on May 7 at Golden State with right knee soreness. Morant underwent an MRI, and subsequent evaluation has revealed a bone bruise in his right knee.
Morant is doubtful for the remainder of the postseason but is expected to make a full recovery.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant is the recipient of the 2021-22 NBA Most Improved Player Award, the NBA announced today.
The first player in franchise history to receive the NBA Most Improved Player Award, Morant received 221 points (38 first-place votes) from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray finished in second place with 183 points (20 first-place votes). Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland finished in third place with 178 points (11 first-place votes). Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.
Morant averaged 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.16 steals in 33.1 minutes in 57 appearances (all starts) this season and helped guide the Grizzlies to a 56-26 record, the second-best in the NBA during the regular season. Memphis tied its 2012-13 franchise record for wins and captured the Southwest Division championship, the first division title in franchise history.
In his third NBA season, Morant set career highs for scoring average, rebounds per game, steals per game, field goal percentage (.493) and 3-point percentage (.344). Compared to the 2020-21 season, he raised his field goal percentage by 4.4%, while increasing his shot attempts by 5.4 per game, and upped his 3-point percentage by 4.1% on an additional 0.7 attempts per game.
The 22-year-old was selected as a starter for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game, becoming the second All-Star starter in franchise history and the youngest Grizzlies player to participate in the event.
Morant led all NBA players in points in the paint per game (16.6), becoming the first guard to do so in 25 seasons since data was first tracked, and ranked second in fast break points per game (4.4), helping the Grizzlies lead the NBA in both categories. He set a single-game franchise record with 52 points on Feb. 28 vs. San Antonio, the first 50-point performance in Grizzlies history.
In addition, Morant became the sixth player in NBA history to average at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in his age-22 season, joining Oscar Robertson (1960-61), Kobe Bryant (2000-01), Tracy McGrady (2001-02), LeBron James (2016-17) and Luka Dončić (2021-22).
Morant has started all of his 187 regular season appearances and has averaged 21.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 32.2 minutes through his first three NBA seasons. He was named the 2019-20 NBA Rookie of the Year after being second overall in the 2019 NBA Draft following his sophomore year at Murray State University.
Grizzlies guard Ja Morant got attention all season thanks to play that earned him the Rookie of the Year award, and his jersey sales also serve to show that his popularity is on the rise. Here’s the Memphis Commercial Appeal:
The league, along with the National Basketball Player’s Association, announced Wednesday that Morant was the only rookie listed among the NBA’s top 15 most popular jerseys since the league restarted in July.
He was 15th with LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the top five. The results were based on NBAStore.com sales from July 30-Sept. 28.
Morant being the lone rookie on there was a mild surprise. Fellow rookie Zion Williamson led the NBA in memorabilia sold since his debut on Jan. 22 across the Fanatics network, which includes NBAStore.com.
Next up for the Gizzlies is the draft. With what would have been their No. 14 pick in the hands of the Celtics due to a trade, focus will be on free agency. Every key Grizzlies player is signed at least through next season, but the team could use help in the scoring department.
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, the 2019-20 NBA Rookie of the Year, has been unanimously selected to the 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie First Team. As the lone unanimous selection, Morant received NBA All-Rookie First Team votes on all 100 ballots from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
Joining Morant (200 points) on the 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie First Team are Miami Heat guard Kendrick Nunn (197 points; 98 First Team votes), Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke (189 points; 92 First Team votes), New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (176 points; 87 First Team votes) and Golden State Warriors forward Eric Paschall (116 points; 28 First Team votes).
With the selection of Morant and Clarke, the Grizzlies have multiple players on the NBA All-Rookie First Team for the first time since the 2001-02 season (Pau Gasol and Shane Battier). Nunn, who played in the NBA G League last season, is the first Heat player named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team since the 2008-09 season (Michael Beasley). Williamson and Paschall complete the NBA All-Rookie First Team as the first and 41st overall picks in NBA Draft 2019, respectively.
The 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie Second Team consists of Heat guard Tyler Herro (115 points), Toronto Raptors guard Terence Davis II (96), Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (90), Charlotte Hornets forward P.J. Washington Jr. (88) and Washington Wizards forward Rui Hachimura (74).
The media panel selected five players for the NBA All-Rookie First Team and five players for the NBA All-Rookie Second Team at any position. Players received two points for each First Team vote and one point for each Second Team vote.
The voting was conducted based on regular-season games played through March 11. The seeding games, which were played July 30 – Aug. 14 as part of the 2019-20 season restart, did not count toward voting for the NBA All-Rookie Team or the league’s other traditional end-of-season awards.
It’s awards season in the NBA, as winners of the league’s regular season awards are announced during the playoffs. Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting on how Miami Heat players fared in the results:
With Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant on Thursday being named NBA Rookie of the Year, the Heat’s two finalists for 2020 NBA awards have had their second-place fates settled, Kendrick Nunn for Rookie of the Year and Bam Adebayo for Most Improved Player (behind New Orleans Pelicans guard Brandon Ingram). While the Heat have had previous Most Improved winners in Rony Seikaly (1990) and Ike Austin (1997), the franchise remains without a Rookie of the Year in its 32 seasons. As a matter of perspective on Nunn’s finish, consider that Dwyane Wade placed third in the 2004 Rookie of the Year vote (behind LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony), Caron Butler third in the 2003 Rookie voting (behind Amare Stoudemire and Yao Ming), with those the top previous Heat finishes. (Michael Beasley placed seventh in 2009 as the No. 2 pick in 2008.)
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant has been named the 2019-20 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year.
Morant earned 99 first-place votes (498 points) from a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. The Miami Heat’s Kendrick Nunn finished second with 204 points, and the New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson was third with 140 points. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Morant led all qualified rookies in scoring average (17.8 points), assists (7.3, 10th in the NBA) and double-doubles (15) and recorded the only two triple-doubles by a rookie this season. He joined Oscar Robertson (1960-61), Magic Johnson (1979-80), Isiah Thomas (1981-82), Damon Stoudamire (1995-96), Allen Iverson (1996-97) and Trae Young (2018-19) as one of seven rookies in NBA history to average at least 17.0 points per game and 7.0 assists per game.
Morant increased his averages to 19.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and a league-best 9.9 assists during the NBA’s eight-game seeding schedule at ESPN Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World in Orlando. He finished the season by registering a game-high 35 points and eight assists in the Grizzlies’ play-in game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Aug. 15.
The 21-year-old Morant won three consecutive NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month Awards to open the season and became the second player in franchise history to be named NBA Rookie of the Year (Pau Gasol in 2001-02). He set franchise rookie records this season for assists per game, total assists (488) and assists in a single game (14, twice), helping the Grizzlies set single-season club records for assists (26.9, 2nd in the NBA) and number of 30-assist games (20).
As a rookie, Morant emerged as one of the NBA’s top scorers in fourth quarters, totaling 433 points in final periods, which ranked seventh in the league behind James Harden (511), Trae Young (496), LeBron James (493), Damian Lillard (459), Giannis Antetokounmpo (448) and Donovan Mitchell (438). Morant averaged 7.0 points in fourth quarters, joining Allen Iverson (7.0 in 1996-97) as the only rookies to average at least 7.0 fourth-quarter points since the league began keeping quarterly statistics at the start of the 1996-97 season.
The South Carolina native was selected by NBA assistant coaches to participate in the NBA Rising Stars as part of NBA All-Star Weekend 2020 and helped lead the U.S. Team to a 151-131 victory over the World Team on Feb. 14 at the United Center in Chicago.
Morant, who played two years collegiately at Murray State University, received the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy, named in honor of one of the NBA’s founders, during tonight’s TNT broadcast. Gottlieb coached the Philadelphia Warriors to the NBA’s first championship in 1946-47.
Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant has reportedly added strength to his frame. Here’s ESPN.com reporting:
Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant, the Rookie of the Year front-runner, feels like he’s ready to take off after making physical improvements during the NBA’s hiatus.
Morant, who is listed at 6-foot-3, 175 pounds, said he added 12 pounds during the three-plus-month break. He also believes his right knee, which was repaired in a minor arthroscopic surgery last June, is stronger now than it has been throughout a rookie campaign highlighted by spectacular dunks…
“I’m stronger, can absorb contact and those things,” Morant said.
Morant is still the favorite to win NBA Rookie of the Year. Zion Williamson is also a fantastic rookie but his season got off to a very late start due to injury, and now with league play shortened, Morant clearly deserves the award.
Seeing Morant stonger is just yet another fun thing to look forward to during the NBA’s restart, which if all goes according to plan is exactly four weeks away.
Here’s the Memphis Commercial Appeal on Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, who was doing big things in the 2019-20 season before action was paused due to the world’s coronavirus spread:
Zion Williamson was averaging 26.4 points on 59.8% shooting in his last 11 games. The Pelicans forward looked every bit like the No. 1 overall pick with his highlights and dynamic play. But there’s nothing he can do to supplant Morant.
Morant’s 27-point, 14-assist performance to beat the Lakers on Feb. 29 was enough evidence to show why he’s made the Grizzlies a playoff contender. He was still leading all qualified rookies in points, assists and double-doubles, so the question isn’t his resume; it’s how he would’ve added to it to finish the year.
Could he break the Grizzlies’ rookie record with 15 assists in a game? Who else would he have dunked on to send Memphis and NBA fans into a frenzy? That’s what’s being missed now.
We look forward to seeing Morant’s magic on the court when play eventually resumes.
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Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant’s excellent rookie season has hit a road block, in the form of back spasms.
The team on Saturday announced that Morant in yesterday’s game against the Jazz aggravated back spasms that started earlier in the week.
The Grizzlies are 5-13 this season, and have lost six games in a row. Their next game is tomorrow afternoon on the road against the Timberwolves.
Morant has been an outstanding rookie and is a clear building block for Memphis. In 17 games, the young phenom is averaging 18.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists in 28.7 minutes per outing.
With Morant out, Tyus Jones and shooting guard Dillon Brooks, and perhaps also De’Anthony Melton and Grayson Allen, will have increased responsibility.
Morant is listed at 6-foot-3, 174 pounds. He’s 20 years old, played college basketball at Murray State, and was drafted No. 2 overall this past June.