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On Wednesday morning, a major story came out on ESPN detailing the Memphis Grizzlies' organizational concerns towards their star player, Ja Morant. In that article written by Baxter Holmes and Tim McMahon, one anonymous Grizzlies official pointed out the exact nature of the team's apprehensions towards Morant's behavior, including, but not limited to, the impact Morant's father has on his lifestyle. This, of course, did not go unnoticed for both Morant and the Grizzlies locker room.
Morant had already clapped back to some of the claims in the article, defending his father in the process. But now, it was time for head coach Taylor Jenkins and backcourt mate Desmond Bane to stand up for the 24-year old guard.
The Grizzlies head coach, in particular, did not want to focus on the past, but rather on the improvements Ja Morant has been making behind the scenes that the majority of fans aren't cognizant of. Moreover, with a big season ahead of them, Jenkins doesn't want them to be sidetracked by something they ought to move forward from while making sure that Morant knows that he has the team's full support.
“I read the article, and I’m not going to comment on anonymous sources. I’m not really going to comment on the past. I’m really just focused on the present right now — the strides he is making, positive strides, and the strides that the team is making,” Jenkins told reporters after the Grizzlies' Wednesday practice, per Damichael Cole of Memphis Commercial Appeal. “I want him to know he’s got 100% support from us and his teammates.”
Desmond Bane and Xavier Tillman echoed their head coach's statement, showing their undying support for their Grizzlies teammate.
“We got his back. People are bringing up anything they can just for people to have anything to read. We ain’t worried about that. We with 12,” Bane said.
“We’re all working to get past it, including his self…We feel as good as we can be. We wish that we had 12 out there. That makes it a lot easier for everybody,” Tillman added.
At the very least, it'll be a much easier journey for Ja Morant to put the nightmare past year or so he's had knowing that he has the support some of the most crucial personalities in the Grizzlies organization.
