In the aftermath of Ja Morant parting ways with his longtime agent, Jim Tanner, there is growing confidence that Ja is finally on the right track to rebuilding his reputation. According to Gilbert Arenas, the move signals that Ja is ready for change after a chaotic couple of seasons in Memphis.
“I think he’s cleaning house. He’s surrounding himself with smarter people, people who are going to take him to that next step,” said Arenas on the Nightcap show. “The fact that he’s stayed out of the limelight, he’s getting healthy… for the most part, his troubles were his cell phone and the fact that he’s laid low, I think everybody just can’t wait until next year with him.”
Unc and Gil are excited to see @JaMorant come back 😤 @ShannonSharpe @GilsArenaShow pic.twitter.com/ZsKCIedi5G
— Nightcap (@NightcapShow_) April 6, 2024
Morant is still looking to remake his reputation from a series of scandals that rocked his career. Ranging from flashing his gun on Instagram Live to punching a teenager on the pickup court, Morant’s growing list of incidents was enough to earn punishment from the league itself, and it’s why he missed the first third of the season.
While Ja’s own choices and actions are to blame, many critics hold firm to the idea that Morant’s inner circle of friends and advisors is the one who has been leading him astray. Whether this includes his agent or not is unclear, but that hardly matters with him out of the picture for good, and now Ja can focus on writing his own story.
As for where the young star goes from here, that much is unclear at the moment, but it’s obvious that he’s looking to rebrand himself and move on from the scandal that’s dominated his career. By changing those closest to him and portraying a different image of himself, Morant may find some success in staying out of trouble, and it could make a lot of ground in convincing the world that he has learned from his past mistakes.
The Memphis Grizzlies Will Rise Again
Morant established himself as a bona fide superstar during his first few years in Memphis, and he had the Grizzlies hovering as one of the top seeds in the West.
Together, Ja, Dillon Brooks, and Jaren Jackson Jr. were giving opponents a lot of trouble, and they gave the Warriors a fierce challenge in the postseason. But between Morant’s scandals and various injuries, the Grizzlies were unable to keep up, and the situation completely collapsed.
By the start of this campaign, Brooks was gone, Ja was suspended, and Steven Adams was ruled out for the season.
Unsurprisingly, the Grizzlies faded into obscurity without Morant this season, and his mid-season injury after coming back killed any realistic hopes of a potential playoff run.
Despite wasting this season, however, Memphis is expected to be a major player in the standings next campaign, when Morant and Adams will return and the Grizzlies can re-take their place as a contender in the West.
The Grizzlies still have a long way to go before getting to that point, but Morant seems more determined than ever to become the leader his team will need him to be in the years to come.
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