Ja Morant goes after Charles Barkley again over criticism

Ja Morant is back for another swing at the Charles Barkley piñata.

The Memphis Grizzlies star Morant took time at his media session on Friday to take aim at the Basketball Hall of Famer Barkley. Chuck recently criticized Morant on TNT for supposedly not making his teammates better.

“Nobody can tell me what I do and don’t besides my teammates,” Morant said, per Grizzlies writer Drew Hill. “Those guys said it. An outsider who [has] never been in our locker room or played a game with us said [that] I don’t make my teammates better. But our guys say it all the time."

Barkley’s greater point was that Morant, who is still only 23, has a score-first mentality and needs to do a better job of making plays for his teammates in order to take that next step toward greatness. Morant’s assist numbers are average to below-average for a point guard (especially one who handles the ball as often as Morant does), and the Grizzlies were a stunning 20-5 last season when Morant was injured.

By the same token, however, Morant can counter that he does plenty for his teammates. One particular viral moment from last season showed just how much the former No. 2 overall pick is beloved as a leader in Memphis.