Dillon Brooks Says Ja Morant Is 'Ready to Come Back' to Grizzlies amid Absence

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant remains away from the team for an unknown timeline, but teammate Dillon Brooks believes he is ready to return.

"He's made strides—he's ready to come back," Brooks said, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic.

According to Vardon, Brooks has "frequently" heard from Morant since his absence.

The Grizzlies have ruled out Morant through at least Wednesday game against the Miami Heat after appearing to hold a gun in a nightclub in a video he posted to Instagram. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday the NBA All-Star entered counseling in Florida and there is no timetable for a return.

"There's not a definitive timeline," head coach Taylor Jenkins added Sunday.

Morant has apologized for the video in a statement on Saturday.

"I take full responsibility for my actions last night," the statement read. "I'm sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down. I'm going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being."

The Glendale Police Department in Colorado investigated the incident but did not charge Morant with a crime.

Morant had also been accused last summer of threatening a mall security guard and punching a teenager at a pickup basketball game, as reported by Molly Hensley-Clancy of the Washington Post.

The 23-year-old is one of the NBA's biggest stars, averaging 27.1 points, 8.2 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game in 2022-23. He was named the league's Most Improved Player last year and after winning the 2020 Rookie of the Year award.

The Grizzlies entered Tuesday second in the Western Conference with a 41-26 record, but a deep playoff run could be difficult without Morant.