Ja Morant: Is the Cost too Much?
With the Memphis Grizzlies’ season having officially concluded following their first-round exit to the Oklahoma City Thunder, attention will now shift to next year. What went wrong this year? How can we fix it? What can we do to improve our roster and team production? These are the questions Grizzlies ownership is likely asking, but arguably their top story, and one that might be difficult to own up to, is what should they do with Ja Morant?
In 2019, the Memphis Grizzlies selected Ja Morant with the second overall pick in what they hoped would be a game-changer for their franchise, and, right off the bat, it was. In his first season, Ja was rewarded with Rookie of the Year, only the second player ever to win the award from the Grizzlies’ organization, the other being Pau Gasol. In his second season, Ja Morant played spectacularly in the final minutes of the Grizzlies’ Play-In Tournament en route to defeating the Golden State Warriors and securing the Grizzlies’ first playoff berth since 2017. The following year, the Grizzlies improved again with Ja being in the MVP conversation whilst leading the team to a 56-26 record. Needless to say, the Memphis Grizzlies’ future seemed bright under the helm of Ja Morant. However, this ray of hope would not last.
In the 2022 Playoffs, Ja Morant would suffer from a bone bruise in Game Three against the Warriors during the Western Conference Semifinals, a series the Warriors would go on to win in six games en route to winning the championship. The following year, the Grizzlies’ star would once again get injured in their first-round series against the Lakers, a series they too would go on to lose in six games. This injury came just a few weeks after Ja would be suspended for holding a gun on Instagram Live at a Colorado club. The following year, Ja would showcase himself with a gun again on Instagram Live, leading to a 25-game suspension. Flash forward to now, and Ja Morant has suffered yet another injury in the playoffs, leading to his team being eliminated once more. All of this begs the question: how much can the Grizzlies take? Is it worth keeping a guy who, due to his skill, can get you to the playoffs, but due to injuries or off-court situations, can never finish the season?
Everywhere Ja goes, it feels like the Grizzlies and the NBA as a whole hold their breath. He brings in the highlight plays, he puts on a show for fans whilst flying through the air, he brings some of that old school get out of my way mentality that is heavily missing in the modern era, but he is also entirely unreliable. His injuries and off-court antics make him completely untrustworthy for an organization to try to build around. At the same time, though, where would the Grizzlies be without him?
Memphis isn’t one of the marquee markets in the NBA such as New York or LA. Memphis isn’t an organization with a history and pedigree that attracts star talent to come and suit up for them in the offseason. Despite the injuries and despite the trouble he brings, Ja Morant has put the Grizzlies on the map. He gets the Grizzlies publicity, whether that’s good or bad.
Networks like to feature their games. Pundits like to talk about him and the team. To trade him away or release him entirely would remove the one-star attraction your team has had in years and essentially send you back into the dark ages, desperately hoping for one draft pick to win you the lottery whilst you fade away from the minds of the entire NBA community. So, despite the injuries, despite the trouble, and despite the drama that he brings, is the cost of Ja Morant too much? Is it worth moving on from him at this point in time? I say not yet.
