Ja Morant ready to rejoin Grizzlies, NBA suspension over

Ja Morant’s eight-game NBA suspension is over, and the two-timeAll-Star guard may rejoin the Memphis Grizzlies.

He is expected on the bench Monday night when Memphis hostsDallas, though it’s unclear exactly when he’ll play, with theearliest being Wednesday. The Grizzlies announced Sunday thatMorant would not play against the Mavericks because of a “Return toCompetition Reconditioning.”

The Grizzlies know Morant has been working out, trying to beready for this moment. Memphis was off Sunday after back-to-backwins, and coach Taylor Jenkins said he would like Morant topractice or at least participate in a shootaround before seeinggame action.

“We’ll see when he gets back in the team environment,” Jenkinssaid Saturday night before the Grizzlies beat Golden State 133-119.“Our anticipation is he’s at least out for Monday. We’ll cross thebridge on Wednesday as we get a little bit closer.”

The Grizzlies host Houston on Wednesday in the first of twoconsecutive games against the Rockets in Memphis.

Memphis went 5-3 without Morant, who first stepped away from theteam March 4, hours after he livestreamed himself on Instagramdisplaying a gun at strip club in Colorado following a game againstthe Denver Nuggets. The Grizzlies said on March 8 that Morant wouldbe sidelined for four more games.

Morant met with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in New York beforethe NBA announced his suspension on March 15, including six gameshe already had missed.

The league investigation found that Morant was “holding afirearm in an intoxicated state” — but did not prove the gun wasowned by Morant “or was displayed by him beyond a brief period.”The NBA also did not find that Morant had the gun with him onMemphis’ flight to Denver, or that he possessed the gun in any NBAfacility.

Police in Colorado conducted their own investigation andconcluded there was no reason to charge Morant with a crime afterlooking into the circumstances surrounding the video.

Morant said in an ESPN interview on March 15 that the gun wasnot his and that he takes full responsibility for his actions.

But the strip club incident wasn’t Morant’s firsteyebrow-raising move. The Grizzlies had been talking with Morantabout his off-court conduct even before the March 4 incident.

“I can see the image that I painted over myself with my recentmistakes,” Morant told ESPN. “But in the future, I’m going to showeverybody who Ja really is, what I’m about and change thisnarrative that everybody got.”

Morant, whose suspension cost him $669,000 in salary andpossibly a chance to max out the five-year contract he signed lastJuly by making the All-NBA team, also has to keep working onhimself away from basketball.

Morant said he underwent counseling during his suspension.

“He’d probably be the first one to tell you: ‘Nothing is goingto change immediately overnight. I’m going to learn and grow, butI’m going to get the skills and methods to do that both personallyand professionally,’” Jenkins said.

On the court, the Grizzlies are pleased with the growth of the23-year-old Morant. After Memphis selected him with the No. 2 draftpick in 2019, he was named the 2020 NBA Rookie of the Year and lastyear earned NBA Most Improved Player honors.

He still ranks ninth in the league averaging 27.1 points and hassix triple-doubles this season.

He rejoins a Memphis team in the middle of a competitivepostseason race. The Grizzlies, who were second in the WesternConference before the March 4 incident, are tied with Sacramento —four games back of West-leading Denver with 12 games remaining.

Jenkins said he and his staff need to talk with the medical teamto see where Morant is physically. He said they must decide if theycan get in a practice before returning the guard to gameaction.

The coach knows Morant will be “chomping at the bit” to rejoinhis teammates, but the Grizzlies have a plan ready for hisreturn.

Jenkins said that all starts with what’s in Morant’s head and inhis heart.

“He’s doing a really good job recognizing the improvements he’smaking,” the coach said, “and that he has to continue to make.”

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Associated Press freelancer Clay Bailey contributed to thisreport.