Even the return of Ja Morant wasn't enough for the Memphis Grizzlies to avoid their straight loss after losing to the Detroit Pistons, 114-106, at FedExForum on Monday.
Morant sat out their game against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday after he was slapped with a one-game suspension by the Grizzlies for his pointed remarks at the coaching staff following their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
The controversial guard finished with 18 points, five rebounds, and 10 assists against the Pistons. He also had a game-high five turnovers. Memphis fell to 3-5.
Morant looked displeased in the locker room after the game when he was hounded by reporters. When asked if he feels everything has been resolved with the coaching staff, the two-time All-Star appeared to evade the question.
“Yeah. They (coaching staff) told y'all that, right?” said Morant in the video posted by Action News 5's Matt Infield.
“Obviously, they can't go tell y'all something I didn't say.”
He said “they can’t* go tell y’all something I didn’t say”, not can. https://t.co/UWpIJGiEVx
— Matt Infield (@Matt_Infield) November 4, 2025
Morant felt like he didn't have enough playing time against the Lakers, leading him to publicly question the coaching staff. He played for 31 minutes, tallying eight points on 3-of-14 shooting and seven assists.
After missing back-to-back shots early in the fourth quarter versus the Lakers, he was taken out. When he was subbed back in with 5:33 left, he didn't take a single attempt even though the Grizzlies still had a strong chance to win. He also didn't tally a rebound or an assist.
Morant has had issues in recent years, including getting suspended for 33 games for brandishing a gun in two separate videos in 2023. He was also fined $75,000 by the NBA and suspended by the Grizzlies last season due to finger-gun gestures.
Is time for the Grizzlies to move on from Morant?
