Ja Morant is set to return to NBA action with the Memphis Grizzlies when they face the Houston Rockets on Wednesday after serving his suspension.
Morant hit headlines for the wrong reasons when he was filmed dancing topless in a club before he appeared to lift a firearm to the side of his head after the Grizzlies lost to the Denver Nuggets earlier this month. Last week, the NBA announced Morant would be suspended for a further eight games without pay after league commissioner Adam Silver insisted his actions were ‘irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous’.
The guard hopes to make amends with his team-mates and fans with his play on the court as he prepares to suit up once again. Morant had been away from the Grizzlies for nearly three weeks as he attended counselling in Florida but linked back up with his teammates on Monday.
Grizzlies head coach Jenkins praised Morant for quickly acclimatising, while he also revealed the former Murray State star - selected second overall in the 2019 NBA Draft - addressed coaches and players upon returning. The 23-year-old was on the sidelines in the win over the Dallas Mavericks as part of his return-to-conditioning process.
Morant told reporters the counselling he underwent was related to his stress, and while he noted he is not completely better, he revealed he is focused entirely on his return to basketball. The two-time All-Star added he will keep his social media to solely chronicle his NBA journey - and accepted responsibility for his actions.
“I made mistakes in the past that caused a lot of negative attention, not only to me, but my family as well, my team, the organisation, and I'm completely sorry for [the ban]," Morant said after practice on Tuesday. “So my job now is, like I said, to be more responsible, more smarter, and don't cause any of that no more.
“I went there to counselling to learn how to manage stress. Cope with stress in a positive way, instead of ways I've tried to deal with it before that caused me to make mistakes."
After Jenkins admitted he expects his budding superstar to play against the Rockets, Morant suggested he is willing to come off the bench to slowly increase his minutes. Jenkins confirmed Morant will come off the bench before he regains his starting role.
The Grizzlies have fared well in their star’s absence with six wins in nine contests but they will undoubtedly welcome Morant - who signed a five-year deal worth $231million in the offseason - back to the court with open arms heading into the final 11 games of the season. He is averaging 27.1 points per game in the 2022/23 NBA season to go with 8.2 assists, while he was named to the All-Star Game last month.
Morant’s Grizzlies possess a 44-27 record and sit third in the Western Conference after going on a three-game winning run. They take on the 18-54 Rockets in their next contest at on Wednesday night at FedExForum.
