With the 2019-20 NBA season in flux due to the coronavirus pandemic, the writers and reporters at Sports Illustrated compiled their winners for the end of season awards if the year concluded today.
From the Most Valuable Player to the Sixth Man of the Year, eight SI writers completed ballots with most selecting Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo for MVP in the NBA.
While some awards were split on the winner, such as the Coach of the Year race, the eight pundits were unified in selecting Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant as the Rookie of the Year.
As senior writer Chris Mannix said:
Morant has been as good as advertised, blending the speed and power of a Russell Westbrook with the calm playmaking of ex-Grizzlies guard Mike Conley. Morant was a prolific scorer (17.6 points) while shooting a more than respectable 36.7% from three. Sorry, Zion fans: Can’t win Rookie of the Year with a 19-game resume.
Of course, the awards were given based on the season ending now, which would only give Zion Williamson a 19-game sample size as noted by Mannix. Many have said since Williamson debuted that he won’t have a large enough body of work to pry the award from Morant.
Even if the season concluded with all 82 games played, which is in serious doubt, the Pelicans only have 18 games left in the regular season, which would mean Williamson finishes with 37 appearances–far fewer than the 76 Morant could play.
With the season at a standstill, Morant could be on the verge of becoming the unanimous winner but it would be the right decision for Morant to win based on his complete body of work.
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