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Ja Morant’s eight-game NBA suspension is over, and the two-time All-Star guard could rejoin the Memphis Grizzlies.
Morant is expected to be on the bench Monday night when Memphis hosts Dallas, though it is unclear when he will return to the starting five.
The Grizzlies know they’ve been working, trying to be ready for this exact moment, true to the instructions of head coach Taylor Jenkins who said they want Morant to practice or at least participate in shootarounds before seeing game action.
“We’ll see when he gets back in the team environment,” Jenkins said Saturday before the Grizzlies beat the Golden State Warriors 133-119.
“He’ll probably be the first person to tell you, ‘Nothing’s going to change overnight. Our anticipation is at least Monday. We’ll cross the bridge on Wednesday as we get closer.'”
“I can see the picture I’m painting myself with new mistakes,” Morant said ESPN. “But in the future, I will show who Ja really is, what I want and change the narrative that everyone has.
“I’m going to learn and grow, but I’m going to get the skills and the way to do it personally and professionally,'”
Memphis won 5-3 without Morant, who left the team for the first time on March 4, hours after going live on Instagram holding a gun at a strip club in Colorado after a game against the Denver Nuggets. Then the Grizzlies said on March 8 that Morant would be sidelined for four more games.
Morant met with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in New York before the NBA announced the March 15 suspension, including the first six games he has missed.
The investigation found Morant “possessing a firearm in an intoxicated state” – but did not prove that the gun was in Morant’s possession “or displayed by him beyond a short period of time.”
The NBA also did not find that Morant had a gun with him on the Memphis to Denver flight, or that he had a gun at an NBA facility.
Police in Colorado conducted their own investigation and concluded there was no reason to charge Morant with a crime after looking at the circumstances surrounding the video. But this strip club incident wasn’t Morant’s embarrassing off-court decision.
The Grizzlies had talked to Morant about his off-court behavior before the March 4 incident. He is challenging the issue of his $669,000 salary and may have a chance to maximize the five-year contract he signed last July with consulting.
On the court, the Grizzlies are pleased with the growth of the 23-year-old Morant. After Memphis selected him with the No. 2 draft pick in 2019, he was named the 2020 NBA Rookie of the Year and last year won the NBA Player of the Year award.
He rejoined the Memphis team in the midst of a competitive postseason run. The Grizzlies, who were second in the Western Conference before the March 4 incident, are tied with Sacramento — four games back of West-leading Denver with 12 games remaining.
Coaches know Morant will be “chomping” to rejoin his teammates, but the Grizzlies have a plan in place for his return. Jenkins said it all starts with what’s in Morant’s head and in his heart.
“He’s done a really good job of recognizing the improvements he’s made,” the coach said, “and he needs to continue to do that.”
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