When he first entered the league, Ja Morant was a high-flying, acrobatic point guard who quickly captivated NBA fans due to the fact that he was a human highlight reel each and every night he took the court. While Morant is still one of the more athletic players in the league, his status as one of the young faces of the league moving forward has been clouded based on some bad choices made off the court.
After serving a 25-game suspension for flashing a firearm while livestreaming on social media, Morant is ready to return to the court both as a basketball player representing the Memphis Grizzlies and a changed man.
“I made a lot of mistakes, not even speaking on the ones publicly,” Morant told reporters on Friday afternoon in his first remarks since being suspended by commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA. “I'm not happy that it happened, but I'm happy I had the opportunity to reflect and realize what's at stake. Me and my family were already close before, but this made us closer.”
Morant is only 24 years old and has many years of playing basketball at the highest level possible ahead of him. The records and accolades he's accumulated through his first four seasons in the league have set Morant up to possibly become the greatest player in the history of the Grizzlies. But now, his career is going to be influenced by what happens the rest of this season.
To miss 25 games has set Morant and the Grizzlies back a lot compared to other teams in the Western Conference. Despite their 6-19 record at this point, Memphis has not given up hope on the season at hand. This franchise has won at least 50 games each of the last two seasons with Morant at the helm of leadership, casting a sense of hope for the remaining 57 games on this team's schedule.
Challenges await the young star and his team for the rest of the 2023-24 season. Perhaps a sense of normality will never again surround Morant and his image. Nonetheless, he is ready to return to the Grizzlies and redeem himself with those willing to give him a second chance.
Ja Morant's return
Tuesday night will mark Ja Morant's return to the court for the Grizzlies, as they will be on the road to take on the New Orleans Pelicans. This is a game that not only signifies the climb back for Memphis, but it's a game that symbolizes a new story for Morant.
Not being able to play in games and be there for his team has taken its toll on the young superstar guard. Being able to get back out on the floor and compete at the highest level is the ultimate source of healing for Morant.
“It was definitely tough, some horrible days,” Morant explained. “It was tough, but like I said to start this, with the support that I had throughout this process, it definitely helped me a lot. It's pretty much all I could lean on at that time. Obviously, basketball is something I've been doing pretty much my whole life. Something that's therapeutic for me. Obviously taking that away, it makes it tougher. But I had the right people around me, from my family to the organization and to my other partners that helped me along in the process.”
The energy Morant has brought in practices behind the scenes has really set the stage for what's to come the rest of the way for the Grizzlies. Losses are going to happen between now and the end of the season in Memphis, but how the team responds to adversity will be the biggest test for this group.
At the end of the day, Morant is the leader the Grizzlies have been lacking to begin the year, which is why his return is significant.
“He’s been awesome outside of not being able to play in the games,” Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said on Friday night, via the Associated Press. “He’s taken every opportunity to be with his teammates. He’s been leaning into the team a lot, (doing) off-court stuff with his teammates… He seems to be in a really good spot.”
All eyes will be on the Grizzlies' matchup with the Pelicans on Tuesday night. A win for Memphis would surely help the confidence of Morant and the team as a whole, but this game holds a bigger role pertaining to how the Western Conference will play out.
Grizzlies' position in standings
As things stand with Morant's suspension coming to an end, the Grizzlies are 6-19 on the season, which puts them in 13th place in the Western Conference standings in front of just the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers. These two teams are not going to be making the playoffs this season, so what about the Grizzlies?
It is definitely not a forgone conclusion that Memphis will miss the playoffs. Even though they are 13 games below .500 on the season, we've yet to really see this group play together. Morant has obviously missed the first 25 games of the season, Brandon Clarke has yet to return from the Achilles injury he suffered last year, sharpshooter Luke Kennard has only played in eight games due to injury, and Marcus Smart, the team's biggest offseason addition, has played in only 11 games due to injury.
Without Morant, the Grizzlies have had to turn to a lot of inexperienced secondary talents early on in the season. While this has led them to owning one of the league's worst records, it could wind up paying dividends down the road. Experience on the court is one of the biggest factors in player development, which is why the Grizzlies may actually look back on the first 25 games of this season as resourceful once their team is fully healthy.
Morant's absence has also allowed Desmond Bane to step out of the shadows and become an All-Star-like talent for this team. In 24 games, Bane has averaged 24.6 points and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 38.2 percent from three-point range. With Ja back, Bane can continue to be a primary scoring weapon with his superstar teammate drawing a lot of the attention.
A 7.5-game deficit between the Grizzlies and the 10-seed in the Western Conference may seem like a lot. However, a four or five-game win streak can turn the tide for a team's season. In the case of the Grizzlies, a “one game at a time” approach will go a long way in working themselves back into the hunt for the postseason.
Playoff outlook
Can the Grizzlies make the playoffs now that Morant is back?
This is the question everyone is asking about the Grizzlies and quite honestly, it's hard to give a firm answers on this.
On one hand, Morant's arrival to the Grizzlies' rotations signifies a lot more offensive production and a sense of leadership this young group has not had. At the same time, this team is 13 games below .500 on the season and the Western Conference is no joke. All 10 teams currently inside the playoff picture are capable of making the play-in tournament at the very least, plus the Golden State Warriors are also on the outside looking in.
If the Grizzlies want to have a chance at making a real playoff run, these next two months leading up to the trade deadline in February will be critical. Quite honestly, Memphis has a chance to really make a statement over their next stretch of games.
Following their trip to New Orleans on Tuesday night, the Grizzlies will host the Indiana Pacers before a four-game road trip in which they will play the Atlanta Hawks, Pelicans again, Denver Nuggets, and Los Angeles Clippers. These six games, including Tuesday night's game, presents an opportunity for the Grizzlies to showcase the difference Morant makes.
Simply going 3-3 and building some momentum against good teams will give the Grizzlies the confidence they need to potentially go on a run during the back half of the 2023-24 season.
Whether or not they can actually achieve this is yet to be seen. Until we get a glimpse of how this team plays with Morant and until more key talents get removed from the injury report, it's hard to truly evaluate the potential this Grizzlies team still has.
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