Ja Morant was unceremoniously ejected in the fourth quarter of the Grizzlies‘ 115-110 win over the Kings. With 6:45 left in the fourth quarter, Morant made contact with DeMar DeRozan who was deemed worthy of a technical foul, which was his second, that led to him getting ejected. But after the game, NBA Crew chief Pat Fraher admitted that Morant was wrongfully given a technical.
“In live play, the official thought that Morant bumped DeRozan on his jump shot. However, after the postgame review, Morant was in a legal guarding position and should not have been called for a foul.”
The foul was Morant’s second technical, which led to him getting ejected. A quick look at the video shows that Morant wasn’t making any kind of illegal contact and was in the correct legal guarding position when trying to get a stop on DeMar DeRozan.
Ja got ejected after receiving his second tech 😳 pic.twitter.com/JL5VhmJmzv
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 6, 2024
The ejection was the cherry on top of a terrible sundae of a performance from Ja Morant. Morant played poorly, putting up just eight points (2-13 FG), three rebounds, seven assists, and one block. He went 0-6 from the three-point line and went 4-4 from the three-point line.
Despite the abysmal outing from Morant, the Grizzlies were able to get the win against the Kings. The Grizzlies are now tied with the Mavericks and the Rockets for the second seed in the Western Conference with a record of 15-8. The Grizzlies are looking like a formidable side, and have quietly had a strong season.
Ja Morant will be hoping he doesn’t have another performance like last night again. The Grizzlies need Morant to be on top of his game going forward if they want to sustain their strong start for the rest of the season.
Ja Morant Must Have A Bounce-Back Season
Ja Morant has had a turbulent couple of years in the NBA. After rising through the ranks to become an All-Star in this league, Morant found himself at the heart of controversy last year, as he was caught brandishing a firearm on an Instagram Live video. Morant was subsequently fined and suspended for doing so.
But after vowing to make sure he wouldn’t make such a mistake again, he was caught doing the exact same thing again a few months later. He would be served a longer suspension and be made an example of. After making his return during the 2023-24 NBA season, Morant’s season quickly ended when he was forced to have shoulder surgery.
Upon making his return, Morant has played well, averaging 20.9 points, 8.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game while shooting 44.8% from the field, 26.3% from the three-point line, and 85.2% from the free-throw line.
While this has been a strong return from Morant, he needs to get back to his All-Star best soon, if the Grizzlies want to continue their strong season. They need to make sure that they are elevating Morant back to his best with every passing game.
Last night must be an outlier for Morant, who needs to prove that he can still be a generation-defining superstar who can be the face of the NBA.
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