Ja Morant has appeared to be frustrated with how things are going in Memphis recently, and he confirmed on Monday that he’s currently unhappy with the Grizzlies.
When asked if Morant has his usual joy at the moment, the point guard answered, “No,” per Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
When asked what can be done to get his joy back, Morant said, “We’ll see.”
Morant had just eight points on 3-of-14 from the field in last Friday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. When asked what went wrong for him, Morant told reporters to “go ask the coaching staff.” He was then asked why he didn’t have his usual energy, to which he replied, “Go ask the coaching staff why.”
He was also asked what the Grizzlies could have done better as a unit in the loss.
“According to them, probably don’t play me, honestly,” Morant said. “That’s basically what the message was after.”
Morant’s comments after the loss earned him a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team. According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the suspension came “as a result of Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo challenging Morant’s leadership and effort in a postgame exchange after a loss to the Lakers on Friday night — to which Morant responded in a tone deemed inappropriate.”
Without Morant, the Grizzlies lost to the Toronto Raptors 117-104. He returned to action on Monday, posting 18 points, 10 assists and five boards in a 114-106 loss to the Detroit Pistons.
The Grizzlies are off to a 3-5 start in Tuomas Iisalo’s first full season as head coach.
It’s unclear exactly what Morant wants to change, but it is obvious that something needs to be done to appease the star. Though Morant has been inconsistent over the past few seasons with injuries and suspensions, he’s the leader of the Grizzlies, and Memphis is far from a championship contender when he’s not at his best.
Morant’s comments on Monday, plus those he made on Friday, indicate that he’s unhappy with the Grizzlies. Whether he’ll ask out of Memphis will be the storyline to watch moving forward.
