Former Oakland Star Kendrick Nunn: "I'm Rookie of the Year" – Not Ja Morant

Morant, Nunn
Photo credit © Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

Two years ago, Kendrick Nunn was on his way to winning Horizon League Player of the Year at Oakland University. Now he's lobbying for Rookie of the Year in the NBA.

The breakout star for the NBA's breakout team in the Miami Heat, Nunn thinks he deserves the award over the Grizzlies' Ja Morant. 

"I'm Rookie of the Year," Nunn told the Sun-Sentinel in a recent interview. "I think people will say that he is Rookie of the Year, but I don't believe it. The most value should be in the wins. And we're both starting guards on teams, and our team has been holding it down. We're a playoff team, so go ahead and give that Rookie of the Year to Kendrick Nunn."  
Ja, your thoughts?

https://t.co/HVFc4rq5Nb pic.twitter.com/8Hx0BtqsaG

— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) April 13, 2020

In terms of personal numbers, Morant has the clear edge. The Grizzlies star was averaging 17.6 points and 6.9 assists when the NBA suspended its season due to the coronavirus, compared to 15.6 points and 3.4 assists for Nunn. And while it's true the Heat were the better team, the Grizzlies were still in possession of a playoff spot in the West. 

Head to head, Nunn got the better of Morant in Round 1, scoring 24 points to lift Miami over Memphis in the season opener. But Morant responded with a 20-point, 10-rebound performance to even the score in Round 2. 

Zion Williamson, meanwhile, was averaging 23.6 points and 6.8 rebounds for the Pelicans -- but the fact he's played just 19 games will likely take him out of the race.

It's Morant's award at this point, not to discredit Nunn. A relative unknown entering this season after going undrafted out of Oakland and spending most of last season with the Warriors' G-League team, he won the job as Miami's starting point guard in the preseason and hasn't looked back.

Rookie of the Year? Not quite. But Nunn is almost assured a first-team All-Rookie selection, and he's established as the starting point guard for a team on the rise. Considering where he was a year ago, he'll probably take it.