Ja Morant has been at the forefront of controversies aplenty for the past year. From delinquent behavior in malls to threatening a shoe salesman to intimidating a security guard, and then to brandishing a gun on his Instagram live, the Memphis Grizzlies star has seen his stock fall precipitously. He went from being one of the budding faces of the NBA to someone in need of intervention, which the NBA provided when they suspended him for 25 games to begin the 2023-24 season as a consequence for his actions.

However, this concerning pattern of behavior from Morant didn't exactly come out of nowhere. In fact, according to Baxter Holmes and Tim McMahon of ESPN, Grizzlies officials began being concerned about Morant, his behavior, and the kind of company he kept in the lead-up to the 2022 All-Star game. During his flight to Cleveland, Morant went live on Instagram and indiscreetly passed around bottles of tequila towards members of his inner circle that were in his private jet, which Grizzlies officials believe was a turning point in their franchise cornerstone's career.

“It was that weekend, multiple sources in and around the Grizzlies organization said, that some early warning signs became habitual. When concerns around the team and league deepened. And it is when, sources said, Morant's misconduct accelerated, becoming more frequent and public,” Holmes and McMahon wrote.

But even before then, the Grizzlies may have overlooked a few warning signs involving Ja Morant and his father, Tee. According to the ESPN article, Morant's father reportedly would bring out his then-underage son during the 2019-20 season to go out partying in “seedy” establishments in Memphis as well as strip clubs, going out drinking, sometimes even on nights before gamedays.

This is very concerning behavior, and the Grizzlies must do whatever it takes to get Morant the help he needs to avoid going even further into this pattern of behavior. At the very least, Morant should realize, amid his 25-game suspension, that his actions do have consequences and that he must get his act together if he were to fashion out a long NBA career for himself.