Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies finished with the second-best record in the Western Conference during the regular season, but they weren’t as strong a team as their placement suggested. Morant believes that his off-court issues may have been a factor in the team failing to achieve their goals.
Ja Morant Says His Issues Affected The Team
There was no team in the NBA that spent more time in the headlines for non-basketball related issues. We of course know about Dillon Brooks, and his season-long quest to become the villain of the league through his various trash talking incidents. But the more serious issues were the ones that followed Morant, and the ones that potentially doomed the team.
"I've just got to be better with my decision-making. That's pretty much it. Off-the-court issues affected us as an organization pretty much. Just [need] more discipline."
– Ja Morant
(Via ESPN) pic.twitter.com/k5oicdLPRX
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 29, 2023
During the first half of the season, it felt like there was a different off-court story about Ja Morant every week. There was an incident with Morant’s crew and the Indiana Pacers charter bus, and another at a mall in which Morant and several other men arrived to settle a confrontation between his mother and a shoe store.
The incidents became more serious. There were allegations that Morant had punched a minor more than 10 times on his property, and he was ultimately suspended for brandishing a gun at a Denver nightclub following a game against the Nuggets.
Morant Gave Humbling Postgame Press Conference
Despite the troubles, Memphis was able to hold on to the 2nd seed in the West for pretty much the entire season. But things came to a grinding halt in the first round as they drew a matchup with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers.
It didn’t go so well for the Grizzlies. They were able to pick up a couple of victories in the series, but the veteran team prevailed after Dillon Brooks once again decided to poke the bear and motivate the Lakers into the dismantling.
"I don't mind. I said it. I'll deal with it."
Ja Morant on the "I'm fine in the West" comment he said earlier in the seasonpic.twitter.com/j00rTQaWDQ
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 29, 2023
In his postgame interview after the loss, Ja Morant pointed to his own issues being one of the reasons for the team’s disappointing end to the season.
“I’ve just got to be better with my decision-making. That’s pretty much it. Off-the-court issues affected us as an organization pretty much”
He was even asked about his “I’m fine in the West” comments that made the rounds so many times this season. “I don’t mind. I said it. I’ll deal with it,” said Morant.
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