Zion Williamson Finishes Third in Rookie of Year Voting

Former Duke Blue Devil Zion Williamson finished third in voting for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.

Memphis rookie Ja Morant took home the award with 99 of 100 first-place votes and 498 voting points. Miami’s Kendrick Nunn was second, with 204 points.

Williamson, the first overall pick in the draft by the New Orleans Pelicans, finished third. He was the only player other than Morant to receive a first-place vote. He also picked up 37 second-place votes (second to Nunn’s 56) and 24 third-place votes for a total of 140 points. A total of 38 voters left him off of their ballot.

Williamson’s finish was the best by a former Duke player since Jayson Tatum also finished third in 2018. He’s the first Blue Devil to receive a first-place vote since Mason Plumlee received two in 2014.

Williamson averaged 22.5 ppg and 6.3 rebounds, but his case for the Rookie of the Year award was hurt by his extended absence from the court. Williamson missed the first two months of the season recovering from a knee injury and played just 24 games on the year. Williamson also left the NBA Bubble in Orlando prior to games restarting to attend to a family member. Due to the missed practices, his playing time was reduced upon his return, further hurting his candidacy.

Fellow Blue Devil teammate RJ Barrett of the Knicks finished eighth in the voting with one third-place vote and one point. It’s the first time two Duke players have received Rookie of the Year votes since 2016, when Jahlil Okafor finished fifth and Justise Winslow sixth.

Barrett averaged 14.3 ppg, 5.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists for New York.