Nunn believes he's ROY: 'The most value should be in the wins'

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant appears to be the clear-cut choice for the NBA's Rookie of the Year Award, but fellow first-year player Kendrick Nunn believes he's more worthy of the honor.

"I'm Rookie of the Year," the Miami Heat guard told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

"I think people will say that (Morant) is Rookie of the Year, but I don't believe it. The most value should be in the wins. And we're both starting guards on teams, and our team has been holding it down," he added. "We're a playoff team, so go ahead and give that Rookie of the Year to Kendrick Nunn."

The Heat sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 41-24 record. Meanwhile, Morant's Grizzlies hold a 32-33 mark and are clinging to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Nunn has played an influential role in Miami's ascent after earning a starting role out of training camp. The 24-year-old is fourth in team scoring at 15.6 points per contest and is shooting 44.8% from the field across 62 appearances in 2019-20.

In October, Nunn became the first player since Kevin Durant in 2007 to score 100 points in their first five career games, according to ESPN Stats & Info. He went undrafted in 2018 but came onto the NBA radar with a standout campaign with the G League's Santa Cruz Warriors.

Meanwhile, Morant, the No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft, leads all first-year players in scoring (17.6 points per game), assists (6.9), and efficiency (18.1), according to NBA.com.

The Grizzlies phenom responded to Nunn in a pair of tweets Monday.