Ja Morant was Rookie of the Year in 2020 and vowed he would get better from there. And that’s exactly what he did.
The Memphis Grizzlies guard received his second major honor in three seasons on Monday and was announced as the NBA’s top player. He is the first Grizzlies player to receive this award — and the first player in league history to win both Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Player titles.
“It’s definitely a big time,” Morant said.
Morant had career bests in scoring (27.4 points per game), rebounds (5.7), steals (1.2), and field goal shooting (49.3%). His scoring average last season was 19.1 per game, and he made the big leap while playing basically the same number of minutes.
“This award goes to me, but I feel like it’s a team effort,” said Morant.
The Grizzlies allowed three players to get votes for MIP – alongside Morant, Desmond Bane finished fifth and Jaren Jackson Jr. tenth. The trio led Memphis to #2 in the Western Conference and the second-best record in the league behind Phoenix.
Memphis also posted the best regular season mark in franchise history at 56-26.
“That pretty much reflects our work ethic as a whole as a team,” Morant said. “We all push each other. We all want to get better. I thought we all have that ‘never satisfied’ mentality and that’s why you see three guys from the same team getting votes for this award.”
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Morant, an All-Star for the first time this season, was hardly a winner. He finished with 221 points from a panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters covering the league, with five points awarded for a first-place vote, three for a second, and one for a third.
Dejounte Murray of San Antonio was second with 183 points and Darius Garland of Cleveland was third with 178 points. Murray appeared on 63 ballots, more than anyone else. Garland appeared on 62 ballots.
Morant appeared on 51 of the 100 ballots – but received far more first-place votes than anyone else. He had 38 while Murray collected 20 and Golden State fourth-place finisher Jordan Poole received 15.
Morant, 22, said he spent this past offseason becoming more consistent from 3-point range and improving his midrange game.
“Those were pretty much the two main areas I worked on this past summer,” Morant said during the televised announcement of the award. “It allowed me to make a big leap in my game as you can see from my score.”
A total of 12 players received votes. Bane had seven first-place votes, Tyrese Maxey of Philadelphia finished sixth and had six first-place votes, and Charlotte’s Miles Bridges finished seventh and received three first-place votes.
Portland’s Anfernee Simons was eighth, followed by Boston’s Robert Williams III, then Jackson, Dallas’ Jalen Brunson and Miami’s Max Strus.
And now Morant can set his sights on the next big accolade: League MVP. So far, only one player – Giannis Antetokounmpo from Milwaukee – has won the Most Improved title and then won this trophy.
“That’s the goal,” Morant said.