On Monday at media day for the Memphis Grizzlies, Ja Morant’s teammates gave him a few pieces of advice as the two-time All-Star prepares to return on Dec. 19 after completing a 25-game suspension.
“I care for him as a human and as a teammate,” 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart said. “And I want to see him succeed because if he’s not succeeding, I tell you one thing. This team’s not going to succeed. And we know that. And I think everybody in the NBA world knows that.”
Former NBA MVP Derrick Rose revealed that he reached out to Morant and his father during the offseason. He stated that he wants Morant to understand the importance of discipline and patience.
“That’s the biggest thing with any young man, about a real man,” Rose explained. “Being able to make the adjustment, to have discipline to remind yourself or be mindful of the places you’re at, who you’re with, and your actions.”
In addition, the Grizzlies shared that Morant can travel and practice with his teammates throughout his 25-game suspension to begin the NBA season. However, the Grizzlies are under the impression that Morant will have to exit arenas a few hours before tipoff to satisfy NBA stipulations.
In June, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver shared that Morant would be suspended for a second time for his “alarming” behavior of showing off guns on social media. His suspension was announced a month after a second video of Morant circulated online flashing a gun.
Grizzlies’ president of basketball operations and general manager, Zach Kleiman, believes that it’s important for Morant to “stay on track.”
“There’s steps that I think Ja is continuing to take that are really positive and in the right direction,” Kleiman stated. “It’s great to have him here. I think he’s put himself in a position where there’s no reason why he can’t keep following through on this. So we’re glad he’s here and can’t wait to have him back.”