As of right now, point guard Ja Morant is serving a 25-game suspension with the Memphis Grizzlies, due to a series of incidents where he was caught flashing firearms on social media. There is no doubt that the league took this situation seriously, and many have criticized him for his actions.
NBA legend Charles Barkley recently spoke out about the situation with Morant, criticizing the point guard and telling him to “just play basketball”.
“He’s caught with a gun, he gets suspended and then, less than two months later, he gets filmed again on Instagram with a gun and you’re like, ‘Kid can’t be that stupid,’” said Barkley per Ben Church and Chris Wallace of CNN.
“[The] kid is getting paid close to $100 million and the only thing you have to do is don’t be a fool. Just play basketball. Ain‘t like it’s a real job.
We’re not like teachers. We’re not like firemen. We’re not like policemen. We’re not somebody who’s in the service. We’re not a doctor. Those are five real jobs.
Real jobs [with] people who will never make a lot of money and all you have to do is dribble a stupid basketball and stay out of trouble.”
As of now, what Barkley is saying makes sense. The goal for Morant should be to focus on basketball and hooping as of right now. Hopefully, that is what he ends up doing, and we’ll see how well the Memphis Grizzlies perform once he returns.
During the 2022-23 regular season, Morant averaged 26.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game for the Grizzlies. He is an All-NBA-level performer when healthy, and we’ll see how they do once he returns.
Paul Pierce Wants Ja Morant To Show The World How Good He Is
There is no doubt that Morant has some work to do to re-establish his public image and show people just how good he is at basketball. In fact, Paul Pierce previously challenged Morant to re-establish that he is one of the top players in the game.
“Ja is one of the top 10, top 15 players in the world,” said Pierce. “I’m looking for him to reestablish who he is on and off the court because I think he got the most to show and the most to prove.”
It is true that Morant has a lot to prove both on and off the court. He has to show that he can stay out of trouble, and on the court, Morant has to remind people that he is one of the best point guards in the league.
The Grizzlies Can Be A Force In The Western Conference Once Ja Morant Returns
There is no doubt that the Grizzlies are a gifted team even outside of Morant, as they have players such as Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. on the roster. Once Morant comes back, they can definitely be a force in the Western Conference.
The key for the Grizzlies will of course be to re-integrate Morant and ensure that he is in a position to make an impact for the franchise. Bane and Jackson Jr. will likely be the leaders of the franchise at that point in the locker room, and it’ll be interesting to see how the team will navigate that dynamic.
Hopefully, we see Morant come back better than ever. He is an extremely talented point guard, with the potential to become a true superstar. Morant is an exciting player when hooping, and we’ll see how he does when he comes back.
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