Where Ja Morant, the Grizzlies finished in the 1st return of the NBA All-Star voting

On By Littum

NBA fans haven’t forgotten Ja Morant.

Despite playing just nine games in 2023-2024, Morant is off to a strong start this season and earned plenty of support in the first returns of the NBA All-Star voting released Thursday afternoon.

Morant ranked seventh among Western Conference guards in fan voting with 213,780 votes. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led all guards with 1,053,683 votes.

He wasn’t the only Grizzlies player to receive recognition. Jaren Jackson Jr. was ranked 10th among frontcourt players with 103,142 votes.

Desmond Bane was not in the top 10 guards in fan polls.

Morant, a two-time All-Star, is currently out with an AC joint sprain. He is averaging 21.2 points and 7.9 assists per game this season. The Grizzlies (23-11) are in second place in the NBA Western Conference.

Morant received plenty of votes for last season’s All-Star game, despite barely playing in the first half of the season. The starters are determined by voting from fans, media members and players. Fans account for 50% of the vote, while media and players together account for 25% each.

The reserves are chosen by the coaches. This is the most likely path for Morant and Jackson to become All-Stars this season.

Jackson leads the Grizzlies with 22.1 points per game. match in 32 appearances. He has also been one of the NBA’s best defenders, averaging 1.7 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. match.

The 2025 All-Star festivities will be held at the Chase Center, home of the Golden State Warriors, from June 14-16. February. This will be the first with a new format. The 24 All-Stars will be divided into three teams of eight, and the winning eight-man team from the Rising Stars Challenge will also participate.

Reach sportswriter Jonah Dylan at [email protected] or at X @thejonahdylan.

Damichael Cole is the one Memphis Grizzlies beat writer for The Commercial Appeal. Contact Damichael at [email protected]. Follow Damichael on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DamichaelC.