Ja Morant Eligible to Return from Suspension for Grizzlies vs. Pelicans on Dec. 19

The NBA released its 2023-24 schedule Thursday, and the Memphis Grizzlies now know when Ja Morant will be eligible to return from his 25-game suspension.

As Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal pointed out, Memphis' 26th game of the season comes on Dec. 19 against the New Orleans Pelicans. It will be televised in front of a national audience, as the game will be broadcast on TNT at 7:30 p.m. ET.

The NBA suspended Morant without pay for "conduct detrimental to the league" and explained he will "be required to meet certain conditions before he returns to play and will be ineligible to participate in any public league or team activities, including preseason games, during the course of his suspension."

That suspension came down in June after he was suspended for eight games in March.

The initial suspension occurred because video appeared to show him with a gun in a Denver nightclub. The second one happened after he was seen in a car on a livestream posing with what appeared to be a gun.

He released a statement following the current suspension that said, in part, "to all my fans, I'm going to make it up to you, I promise."

While Morant is scheduled to return on Dec. 19, there is a chance he could see the court sooner depending on how the Grizzlies do during the in-season tournament. If they advance past the group stage and make a run in the single-elimination portion, they may end up playing their 25th game earlier than initially scheduled.

How Memphis fares without him will go a long way toward determining where it ends up in the Western Conference standings.

It was 11-10 without him last season and an impressive 20-5 without him during the 2021-22 campaign, although it no longer has Tyus Jones. Jones played a major role in keeping the team afloat in the backcourt when its primary option was sidelined.

That job will likely fall on the shoulders of Marcus Smart, who the Grizzlies acquired this offseason.

The three-time All-Defensive player and 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year brings veteran experience and the ability to impact the game on both sides of the ball. That will help Memphis remain competitive during the 25-game suspension and ideally set the stage for a playoff run when Morant returns.

How Morant and Smart fit together in the backcourt could be key in the stretch run.