This Tuesday's game could seem like any other for the Memphis Grizzlies. But it's not like that. The top star of his franchise, Ja Morant, will return to the court after missing the first 25 games of the season due to his constant incidents with firearms.
The 24-year-old point guard was the protagonist of two altercations at the beginning of the year, one in March and another in May, for this reason. Morant served eight games of suspension in the first instance, but the NBA handed down the final sentence in June due to the player's "reckless" and "irresponsible" behavior, according to the North American league.
The 'rookie' of the year 2021 says that he does not regret living these turbulent experiences, since they have "made him a better person", as he acknowledged last Friday in his first press conference since his suspension. "It has been very hard. They were horrible days, but the support I had throughout this process helped me a lot."
The point guard pointed to therapy as a very “revealing” alternative that gave him “a new vision of his life.” “How I go about my days, how I behave,” he explained. However, the two-time All-Star acknowledged that he had made "many mistakes" and was not happy about everything that happened, even though he is "grateful to have had this opportunity to reflect."
“I'm proud of him, what he's been able to do," injured Memphis guard Derrick Rose said of Morant. "The work he's put in and his mentality has been right. "He has been helping the younger kids, being a leader and a positive voice throughout this process," he added of his teammate.
The Grizzlies will face the Pelicans this Tuesday and will need the collaboration of Ja Morant more than ever at this point in the season to get out of the bad dynamic in which Taylor Jenkins' team are immersed: second to last in the Western Conference.
The Memphis team so far has a record of six wins and 19 losses in the league. The Grizzlies' last setback - their fifth in a row - was this Monday against the Oklahoma City Thunder (116-97).
The Pelicans and the Grizzlies met in the opening game of the season on October 25, in a duel in which the New Orleans team achieved victory (111-104). "I take it day by day. We focus on the now. When I come back, I hope to make their job easier," Morant said of his long-awaited return to the slopes.
