Ja Morant returned to the Memphis Grizzlies lineup for their Monday night contest against the Detroit Pistons after serving a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team.
Morant was handed that suspension after he put his coaches on blast following their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night. And it looks like nothing has changed with regards to the Grizzlies star's morale especially after they suffered another loss, a 114-106 defeat to the Pistons.
Asked by reporters after the Grizzlies' latest defeat whether or not Morant has his usual “joy”, the star point guard responded with a blunt “no”, as per Damichael Cole of Memphis Commercial Appeal. Morant then replied “we'll see” when he was asked how he could get that joy back.
The Grizzlies are in a major state of flux at the moment. Morant's comments are not helping at all, and it's bleeding into the team's performances on the court. Their loss to the Pistons on Monday is their third consecutive, plummeting to 3-5 on the year.
Morant's poor play on the court is not helping as well. He did drop 18 points and 10 assists on Monday, but he shot poorly from the field, going 5-16. The Grizzlies were -5 in his 35 minutes, while they were +9 with backup Cam Spencer in his place for 13.
They have plenty of time to get it together, but if Morant does not fully buy into the Grizzlies' system, then they may have to rethink how their roster is constructed from here on out. Morant could be on the trading block sooner or later if he keeps on alluding to his unhappiness with his and the Grizzlies' current situation.
Is it time for the Grizzlies to move on from Ja Morant?
Morant has been the Grizzlies' franchise cornerstone since 2019, and they progressed rather quickly as a squad to begin his career. They competed for a play-in spot in 2020 before making it to the playoffs as the eight-seed in 2021. They then blossomed and emerged as the two-seed in 2022. But since then, everything has gone off the rails for Morant and the Grizzlies.
The 2023 season sputtered due to Morant's off-court issues. Morant's suspension and injury derailed their 2024 campaign. And then in 2025, they lost the plot come season's end, leading to Taylor Jenkins' firing.
The Grizzlies may reach the point where they feel as though the headache that comes with rostering Morant isn't worth it, as it isn't paying off in the form of wins anymore.
