Ja Morant Hits Game-Winner First Game Back from Suspension
Back in June, NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced that Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant would be suspended for the first 25 games of the 2023-2024 season after he was repeatedly seen flashing a firearm on social media. Last night to much speculation, Morant finally made his return to the Grizzlies, being placed in the starting lineup against the New Orleans Pelicans. At one point, Memphis was down 24 points during this matchup, but the Grizzlies showed how tough of a team they are. With the help of Ja, Memphis slowly started to creep back, and finally, with the game being tied at 113, Morant laid in the game-winner. While the Memphis Grizzlies have had a slow and rough start to the season, now that their leader is back on the court, will good fortunes start to roll the Grizzlies way?
In his first game back with the team, in 35 minutes of action, Ja Morant finished with 34 points, six rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a block. Last season, Ja played in 61 games averaging around 26 points, six rebounds, eight assists, and a steal a game. He’s a two-time all-star thus far and earned the 2022 Most Improved Player Award after showing his true potential, and how he can be a leader for this Grizzlies franchise. Memphis proved during this first quarter of the season that without Morant, they simply can’t win. After posting a 7-19 record, it’s up to Ja to band the rest of the team together, push and fight during every game, and try to move up in the standings within a competitive Western Conference. They’re currently seven games back from the tenth seed which would qualify the Grizzlies for the play-in tournament if the season ended today. Memphis has plenty of time to try and make something happen before the season ends.
This game was Ja’s first game since April 28th. With his teammates swarming in celebration around him, this is what Ja Morant had to say to the TNT crew after the game, "I'm a dog. I'm a dog, I put work in. I've been putting work in. I ain't played a game in eight months, had a lot of time to learn, myself. Lot of hard days where I went through it. Basketball is my life, what I love. Therapeutic for me. I'm just excited to be back." The biggest question for Ja and this Memphis Grizzlies team is have they matured enough and grown enough from last season to actually make all the work they put in count for something? This team showed how good they could be last season, clinching the second seed in the West, winning 51 games. While they may not be placed as high in the standings or win as many games this season as last year, they can still show they have the fight in them to make a playoff run happen. Can Ja Morant lead the Memphis Grizzlies into the playoffs?
