During the NBA offseason, superstar guard Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies couldn’t keep himself out of trouble as the urge to flash a gun on social media again forced the NBA to hand out another suspension to the perennial All-Star.
Unfortunately for Morant, the league chose to keep him out of the first 25 games of the 2023-24 regular season, which was a costly blow for the player and the team.
Along with Morant being suspended for 25 games, the team would be without Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke, which was enough to make the Grizzlies one of the worst teams in the league to start the 2023-24 campaign.
The Grizzlies have won only six games during Morant’s absence, but they will soon get their superstar guard back on the floor with his suspension about to end.
Even though Morant will soon return to the basketball floor for the Grizzlies, former NBA player turned analyst Kendrick Perkins believes that Memphis will not be making the playoffs but will benefit from getting their culture back, via NBA on ESPN.
“They’re not making the damn playoffs, but … it’s about getting their culture back.”@kendrickperkins on Ja Morant returning to play with the Grizzlies. pic.twitter.com/q8rQlVReiT
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 15, 2023
Perkins is right on the money when he says this team needs the impact of having Morant back on the floor, even if it doesn’t mean there will be immediate results in the win column, as having the face of the franchise back will reignite interest in the team and bring the culture back to Memphis.
The real question now will be how long it will take for the Grizzlies to get back to form, and can the team show flashes this season leading into the offseason if the playoffs are indeed out of reach.
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