Grizzlies' Ja Morant Says He Must Be 'More Responsible, Smarter' After Suspension
Ja Morant is expected to return to the court on Wednesday night after a hiatus from the Memphis Grizzlies and a suspension from the NBA for appearing to brandish a gun at a nightclub on a social media post in early March.
The superstar point guard said he was hoping the situation would serve as a learning experience going forward.
"Obviously, you know, 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 organization, and I'm completely sorry for that," Morant told reporters Tuesday. "So, you know, my job now is, like I said, being more responsible, smarter, and don't cause any (more off-court controversy) anymore."
Morant, 23, spent time in Florida undergoing mental health and life counseling, saying he was trying to "be a better me, learning how to be there for myself and realigning myself with my personal life."
"Just being more responsible, smarter, that's pretty much it for me," he added.
He also said his issues weren't with alcohol and he didn't go to counseling for a substance addiction, but rather because he was dealing with a lot of stress and wasn't dealing with it in a healthy manner.
He added that he was planning to stay off social media and avoid nightclubs after games.
"We could tell there were stressors in his life," Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins told reporters. "[The Grizzlies were] aware, but you never want it to come to that point that it did a couple of weeks ago, and that's what he's been working on the last couple weeks."
Morant was in the midst of another superb season for the Grizzlies, putting up 27.1 points, 8.2 assists, six rebounds and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 46.3 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from three and 74.4 percent from the free-throw line.
The Grizzlies more than tread water without their best player, winning six of the past seven games. Overall, the team has gone 6-3 in his absence.
But any title hopes Memphis might have rest squarely on having a focused Morant back on the court.
"Trust is definitely a factor," Jenkins said of welcoming him back to the team. "He knows he has our support. Obviously, what's happened the last couple of weeks isn't going to ultimately change the relationship we have with him. It's just a growth opportunity to make our relationships even that much deeper."
