NBA RoY Odds: No Stopping the Ja Train in the NBA Rookie of the Year Odds
The electrifying Ja Morant is already one of the Association’s most exciting players. He is the lynchpin in Memphis defying preseason expectations and no other rookie will be able to touch his rookie year resume. It’s becoming increasingly unlikely that any player, even the great Zion Williamson, will catch Ja Morant in the NBA Rookie of the Year race.
In addition to his scoring, Morant has been an elite distributor from the very beginning of his career. He currently leads the 2019 NBA draft class in assists per game (7.1) and assist percentage (35.5%). The Murray State alum also displays an uncanny ability to close out games, as he ranks in the league’s top five in fourth quarter scoring.
Best SportBook 2020
[table id=284 /]
Will the Grizzlies Need to Make the Playoffs to Cement Ja’s NBA RoY Odds?
The Grizzlies face an uphill battle to make the playoffs. Yet, they were never supposed to. Morant’s electrifying game has put Memphis back on the map and the schedule is shaping up to be a solid finish for them. Memphis has 28 games left on the schedule, and 16 come against teams with a winning record. If the Grizz role players can continue to shoot well and play defense, Ja can continue his sensational run of play and do the rest. Leading this Memphis team to a playoff berth in a stacked Western Conference is one heck of an accomplishment. That alone should be more than enough to win Ja Morant the NBA Rookie of the Year trophy.
Morant is heavily favored to win (his NBA Rookie of the Year Odds/NBA RoY Odds sit at -400). It seems crazy that any player could pass him now. Yet… Zion Williamson continues to reach new heights every time his shoes hit the floor. Zion’s rookie of the year stock is rising as he becomes more and more comfortable on an NBA court. A dramatic fall in his rookie of the year odds have reflected that. With Williamson’s NBA Rookie of the Year odds sitting at +450, don’t etch Ja Morant’s name on that trophy just yet.
The Zion show is in full force. Night after night the former Duke Bluedevil blows away the competition. He’s made legit NBA defenders look silly, and bullied even the “Greek Freak”, Giannis Antentokoumpo, in a recent match-up with the Milwaukee Bucks. Is there anything Zion can’t do? And can you really bet against the next NBA superstar?
Zion continues to soar to new heights (literally) night after night, and put up new career highs in scoring and rebounding in successive games just before the All-Star break. Should Zion continue to pad his stats and carry the Pelicans to the playoffs, he has a legitimate chance in besting Morant for the NBA Rookie of the Year trophy.
