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New York Knicks: Revisiting RJ Barrett’s Rookie of the Year odds

By Christian Kim

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 18: RJ Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks handles the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans during a pre-season game on October 18, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 18: RJ Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks handles the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans during a pre-season game on October 18, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Ja Morant

From the Grizzlies’ current roster build, Ja Morant looks to share the point guard duties with Tyus Jones. Nonetheless, the rookie guard looks to be the starter and will be getting a solid amount of playing time. While not a great shooter from the outside, his sheer athleticism will allow him to be an effective NBA player.

He averaged (with 21.8 minutes per game in four games in the preseason)

  • 11.3 PPG
  • 3.5 RPG
  • 7.3 APG

Considering that Morant can play at this rate, per 36 minutes, he will average:

  • 18.66 PPG
  • 5.78 RPG
  • 12.06 APG

While he’s not going to be average 12 assists per game, with the amount of usage that Morant will have, plus his instincts as a passer, he may accumulate 8.0 or 9.0 assists per game this year. He’s an athletic guard, as well, and 4.0 rebounds could be possible. I predict the Murray State product will average more than 15 points per game given the need for scoring as well as the fast-paced offense in Memphis.

Now contrary to the MVP award, the Rookie of the Year award does not really consider efficiency nor team record into consideration. The team record and low efficiency do make sense since most of the winners were lottery picks on bad teams.

So the higher the usage rate, the better the chance the rookie has on winning the award. With Morant’s preseason usage rate being 25.9 percent during the preseason, he seems to be the top choice for the award.

Now, where does RJ Barrett stand in the run for Rookie of the Year?

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