Ja Morant vs. Pau Gasol: Whose Rookie of the Year season was better?

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 5 : Pau Gasol #16 of the Memphis Grizzlies watches the game against the Washington Wizards on April 5, 2002 at the MCI Center in Washington DC. 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. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

5 of 6

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images /

The narrative

Pau Gasol helped change the perception of the European basketball player. Once upon a time, players like him were stereotyped as soft — all finesse with no physicality.

Gasol was one of the first big men from Europe to be recognized for excelling at traditional big-man things: Blocking shots, scoring in the paint and rebounding. That started in his rookie season.

Gasol’s Rookie of the Year victory was a dominant one. He received 117 out of 126 first-place votes. The rest were spread among Richard Jefferson, Andrei Kirilenko, Jason Richardson and Jamaal Tinsley.

*****

Ja Morant capitalized on the attention void left by Zion Williamson’s early-season knee injury to stake his claim early for Rookie of the Year. He never relinquished that spot, even after Zion returned to the court.

Morant was almost a unanimous ROY winner, getting 99 out of 100 first-place votes. Zion got the other vote.

Morant was a nightly highlight-reel, who even made headlines with some of his missed dunk attempts. He has done a lot to make the Grizzlies relevant again.

Home/Grizzlies News