The Grizzlies Don’t Know What Player They’ll Get When Ja Morant Returns

The Memphis star has provided his first comments since his “terrible mistake,” but what can his team expect from him once his suspension is over?

Ja Morant will be back.

But will Memphis?

Wednesday brought some clarity to the weekslong saga that had paralyzed the Grizzlies. The NBA suspended Morant for eight games after he flashed a firearm in a Denver nightclub earlier this month. In a statement NBA commissioner Adam Silver called Morant’s conduct “irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous.” Morant will be eligible to play Monday, but Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said his absence from the lineup will be longer.

“Obviously he hasn’t been playing basketball for almost two weeks now,” Jenkins said. “So that’ll be our focus and hopefully get him back on the court pretty quickly.”

The Grizzlies, who were pasted on the road against Miami on Wednesday, are 3–3 since Morant went out. Losses have come against the Lakers, Clippers and Heat. Wins have come against Golden State and Dallas (twice). Tyus Jones has filled in capably for Morant while the defense during Memphis’s three-game winning streak tightened up. The Grizz have a history of playing well without Morant—they were 20–5 without him last season—but team officials know that a deep playoff run won’t happen without their franchise player leading it.

Morant will be back, but will he be the same player? He was having an All-NBA-caliber season when the Grizzlies benched him. On Wednesday in an interview with ESPN’s Jalen Rose, Morant said he is in a better space mentally than he’s been “in many years.” He said he’s seeing therapists. He is practicing Reiki, a form of meditation. He is using breathing techniques to cope with anxiety.

Morant received an eight-game suspension from the NBA for his, “irresponsible” conduct :: Allison Farrand/USA TODAY Sports

The incident at the club, Morant said, was “a terrible mistake.”

“I realize what I have to lose and for us as a group, what we have to lose,” Morant said. “It’s pretty much just that, being more responsible, more smarter and staying away from all the bad decisions.”

On ESPN, Rose said he appreciated that Morant showed humility. Maybe. But Morant’s response to the incident has been well-scripted. There was the carefully worded statement. The brief stop at a counseling program in Florida. The friendly interview with the former player. Mental health issues should be taken seriously. But If there is a PR playbook, Morant is running it.

Maybe Morant has a new perspective. Maybe not. The suspension will cost Morant $668,000 in salary, a relatively insignificant number when you consider Morant has a five-year, $194 million extension that kicks in next season. When Rose pressed Morant on other reported incidents—including one involving an altercation with a mall security guard in Memphis and another where Morant reportedly confronted high school students in Houston he believed had cursed at his sister—Morant dismissed them as overblown.

“Obviously I realize, ‘Ja showed up,’ and that’s all anybody really needed to paint whatever picture they want,” Morant said. “I realize now that’s a problem. I put myself in those situations.”

Moving forward, Morant said, he wants to show everyone “who Ja really is.” That includes his teammates. Publicly, the Grizzlies have supported Morant.

“He’s doing what’s best for him,” Jaren Jackson Jr. said.

“Whenever he is ready to come back,” Desmond Bane said, “we’ll welcome him with open arms.”

Morant has stayed in regular contact with teammates through calls, texts and FaceTimes. But The Athletic reported that, just before Morant’s gun brandishing in Denver, the team held a players-only meeting where Steven Adams, one of the Grizzlies’ elder statesmen, spoke out about the need for more maturity on road trips—a message some believed was directed at Morant.

“I think it’s going to be great to get him reintegrated with the group,” Jenkins said. “The group’s been supportive of him, he’s been supportive of the group. It’ll be good to put our arms around him and just move forward and help us all grow.”

Will there be any fallout? Winning will help. The Grizzlies have seen their hold on the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference vanish over the past two weeks. Morant can help them reclaim it. Memphis has the second-easiest remaining schedule, per Tankathon.com, with two games against Houston and a game apiece against lottery-bound Orlando and San Antonio. It will be a challenge—Brandon Clarke, a valuable role player, tore his Achilles on March 3 and is done for the year—but one the Morant-led Grizzlies can meet.

Morant said he deserved the NBA’s punishment but that the gun incident “is not who I am.” He will rejoin a team that has been shaken by his absence but will instantly become a conference contender again with his return. He said he wants to change the narrative around him. Come Monday, when Morant returns to practice, he will get the chance.

“When I get back out there, I’m going to be ready to go,” Morant said. “Ready to push for a ring.”