NBA Analyst Believes Ja Morant May Need to Leave Memphis Grizzlies

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As the NBA world awaits the league's official decision on a punishment for Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins believes the point guard may need a change of scenery.
"I believe he is going to be in the league for a very, very, very long time," Perkins said of Morant. "But if another incident like this happens… I'm ready to say right now that I think Ja Morant, it might be best for him to actually get out of Memphis and go to a different organization for his own well-being."
"I think Ja Morant, it might be best for him to actually get out of Memphis and go to a different organization for his own well-being... where he can actually lock in on the game of and his family."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 2, 2023
— @KendrickPerkinspic.twitter.com/ld5mgh3Vvb
Perkins spoke on the potential cultural impact of Memphis, and how that may have become a distraction for Morant. For Perkins, he believes Morant may have a better chance to lock in and focus somewhere else.
Perkins added, "For Ja Morant, in my opinion, I actually think it would be better for him in another city, on another team, having another change of scenery, where he can actually lock in on the game of basketball and lock in on his family."
This is certainly a hot take, although Perkins said he was being completely genuine and was not attempting to make this a hot take moment for television. It's an interesting bit of perspective from Perkins, who believes Morant may be too distracted in Memphis, and would be better off somewhere else where he could lock in on basketball more.
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Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA and WNBA for On SI. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined On SI to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts and in the classroom earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time, primarily serving as a Clippers beat writer.