Can Ja Morant Save Himself, From Himself?

A few years ago Ja Morant was heavily endorsed by Kevin Durant as the face of the NBA moving forward. Now, eight games into a new season, Morant was back on the court against Detroit last night after serving a one-match ban for calling out Grizzlies coaches in a disparaging post-game exchange with the media.

The Grizzlies lost to the Pistons 114-106. Morant shot 31.3 percent from the field (5-from-16) in 35 minutes and gave up a team high of five turnovers. Morant dished up more of the same vague responses during his post game presser which felt like a replay from last Friday. He was asked, “Do you feel like you’ve got the same joy right now that we’re used to seeing from?” to which he replied “Ah, no.” When asked “why not?” Morant just shrugged.

He kept deferring answers with “they told you all that, right?” from questions that were directed at him about a resolution (with coaches) and whether or not he had a good relationship with the franchise. He looked frustrated. He looked edgy.

NBA chat groups are blowing up, raising questions about when the Grizzlies might trade him. Some suggest the Grizzlies will never trade him and will ride out the rollercoaster that is the ‘Ja Experience’. Others also suggest that no other team would want to inherit Morant’s poor attitude and question his value right now. And some have said this has shades of the Jimmy Butler situation in Miami when he wanted a trade.

But no matter how this plays out, here we are again talking about Morant’s off-court performance where his frustrations have put into question his maturity and leadership.

Morant’s Suspension Is Part Of a Troubling Pattern

Morant’s self-sabotaging antics are not new. There’s hope that Morant will eventually morph into a leader with a team-first philosophy. But when Iisalo challenged Morant’s leadership we saw what we’ve always seen: a superstar that is struggling to prioritize the team’s concepts over his own vision. Given that he’s the centrepiece of the team after the Grizzlies traded Desmond Bane, coach Iisalo would have hoped for a much different response to media after a poor showing on the floor. Something along the lines of “I need to be better.”

In 2022 and 2024, Morant won Dunk of the Year for his double-clutch reverse dunk on Kristaps Porziņģis, and his poster on Jacob Poeltl. When he’s in full flight he’s electrifying and magnetic to watch and arguably the best dunker in the NBA. He seems to hover over his enemies, throwing his arm back with the ball in one hand, before descending upon the rim at break-neck speed. In 2020, he was on the front cover of SLAM with the tag line My Turn, Ja Morant is Officially a Problem. Kevin Durant endorsed him as the face of the NBA moving forward. He has more than 15 million followers across all of his social platforms with a reported net worth of $50 million. Whether he cares or not, seeing how he chooses to use his superstar platform is costing him the kind of trust and credibility every franchise blue chip player needs to lead.

In March, 2023, Morant was suspended without pay for eight games by the NBA for conduct detrimental to the league after holding a firearm on Instagram live video in an intoxicated state at a Denver nightclub. Two months later Morant was again filmed in a second video holding what looked like a gun.

The Grizzlies banned Morant from all team activities and the NBA suspended him for 25 games without pay. Powerade pulled an ad campaign that was going to air throughout NCAA’s March Madness. Nike removed the Hunger J1 sneakers from their website and app. Morant posted an apology to X, saying, “I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”

Then, earlier this year Morant got a warning from the NBA and a hefty $75,000 fine for a finger-gun celebration against the Warriors. Then followed that up by celebrating his three-point shots that landed, mimicking throwing a grenade.

Morant’s story is hard to predict from here. Would the Grizzlies ever trade him? To where though? Would Morant consider signing a contract minimum elsewhere? Would any other team even want his brand on their roster? That last one is a loaded question to answer. Morant is potentially a generational talent. He’s in his third year of a $197,230,450 contract largely because basketball fans want to watch him play in the NBA. He wants to win. And all of that means he’s extremely marketable.

The Business Cost of Morant’s Actions

We don’t know how the Grizzlies intend to manage Morant from here on in but they might be starting to assess the opportunity cost represented by Morant’s immature actions and prolonged absence from the court. Since 2022, Ja Morant has missed 160 games out of a possible 246 regular season games for Memphis, roughly 65 percent; 34 of those games are from suspensions either from the NBA or Memphis. A study from 2020 found that sponsors of major sports teams found losses around $44.7 million per incident following athlete misconduct. The impact on revenue for the Grizzlies franchise might well exceed $45 million in losses over the last three years which includes ticket sales, media, and sponsorship. For a small market team that has an estimated annual revenue of $330 million the business cost is clearly felt when Morant isn’t on court.

When training camp started for the Grizzlies, coach Iisalo talked about a team that would be capable of playing fast with plenty of movement full of pick-and-rolls. After falling to the Thunder in the first round in last season’s playoffs, they had to shift gears post Desmond Bane trade. Then a string of injuries hit the roster in the pre-season: Zach Edey (ankle), Ty Jerome (calf), Scotty Pippen Jnr (toe), and Brandon Clarke (knee). It placed more significance on Morant’s role, his presence and leadership. As with building anything new from existing parts there’s going to be a teething period but the early signs for Memphis aren’t encouraging: It only took six games for Morant to unravel.

Player Accountability Is the Path Forward

While the Grizzlies have tried to tackle Morant’s behaviour through suspension, they are yet to figure out a formula other teams have been able to crack that has shifted the behaviours of combustible stars.

In October 2022, Draymond Green punched Warriors teammate Jordan Poole during practice. The leaked video went viral. The Warriors then fined Green. After the season had ended Head Coach Steve Kerr told the media, ‘We were trying to repair that all season long, and we never really were able to.’ Poole was traded to the Wizards in 2023 and while the situation never repaired itself, three years later Green remains a critical defensive and locker room piece for the Warriors as they look to contend this year.

Then there’s Kyrie Irving. The 33-year-old who has been able to restore his credibility by doubling-down on professionalism and steady play after sharing an antisemetic film on social media for which he served a five-game suspension by the Brooklyn Nets. And the intense Jimmy Butler now looks at peace with the Warriors after some turbulent stints with Minnesota, Philadelphia and his twilight Miami months where his confrontational leadership style – which helped shape the Heat’s identity – impacted team chemistry.

If Morant’s issue with the coaching staff is a lack of minutes, he can’t really argue. He’s certainly getting them. He had 35 minutes last night. So far in seven games he’s averaging 29.4 minutes but he hasn’t been able to produce the big numbers we expect from him. He’s also had 20 turnovers and shot 5-36 from outside the arc at 13.9 percent.

If Morant’s issue is loyalty, he can’t argue with that either. The Grizzlies have stood by him every time he’s strayed, through his rehab and recurring injuries. At some point he has to stop blaming others, be accountable for his actions, and get on with it.

If Morant has lost the joy of the game, the love of hoops, like he said last night in front of media, then he needs to be honest with himself and figure out a path back to where he is happy in Memphis or: somewhere else.

There’s plenty of people that are rooting for a redemption story in Ja Morant. But this doesn’t rest on their shoulders. Only Ja Morant can save himself. If he held up a mirror and looked at his reflection, he’d see how he’s still the Grizzlies’ best chance to build a team around in order to contend. He’d see potential. And if he’s being honest with himself, he’d also see his young alpha ego and how his individualism is undermining the culture Memphis is trying to build. The question isn’t whether or not Ja Morant can change. It’s whether or not he is willing to try.