Stephen A. Smith fires shots after Grizzlies' slow start

Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant. Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Stephen A. Smith fires shots at Ja Morant after Grizzlies' slow start

By Adam Taylor | Last updated Nov 6, 2023 5:14 PM ET

Ja Morant is currently serving a 25-game suspension . The Memphis Grizzlies have started the season 1-6 in his absence. Morant's absence is hurting his team's start to the season and will undoubtedly affect their seeding later in the season.

According to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, Morant's absence is why his team is struggling.

"Is he off the court because he's injured? No," Smith said. "Is he off the court because of some kind of family emergency or some kind of tragedy that took place? No. He's off the court because he wasn't thinking of his teammates on the court ... It's alright to love somebody and be p***** off at them for getting in their own way ... There are 30 teams in the NBA, and the winless one is the one that has Ja Morant on their roster."

Ja Morant should be ASHAMED to see the Grizzlies start 1-6 while he isn’t on the court pic.twitter.com/tZ4EvEn0np
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) November 6, 2023

The Grizzlies are devoid of star power without Morant in their rotation. Their plight has been made worse by Steven Adams being ruled out for the season. Brandon Clarke has also been on the injury report.

Memphis has no depth at the center position. It's the perfect storm of absences. Morant could have steadied the ship.

Instead, he's watching on, waiting for his suspension to be over. There's no doubt Morant can become one of the best point guards in the NBA.

He's got more than enough talent to be a potential All-NBA-level guy, but he has to stay out of trouble. According to ESPN's Bobby Marks, Morant's current suspension is costing him $7.6M, all because of a choice he made while on an Instagram Live.

The 25-game Ja Morant suspension will cost $7.6M.

$304,545 for every game missed

Morant is entering year 1 of a $194M rookie max extension that he signed last July.
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) June 16, 2023

Morant's return could spark a resurgence from the Grizzlies. It's also unlikely they continue to lose at their current rate. However, his absence has been a hammer blow to a team already dealing with a significant injury report.

Marcus Smart and Derrick Rose could provide the veteran leadership Morant needs moving forward. However, he has to start making smarter choices if the Grizzlies are going to become the championship contenders we expect them to become.

Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor is a sports journalist based out of the UK. Adam has been covering the NBA for nearly a decade with a core focus on the Boston Celtics. He currently holds bylines with Yardbarker, SB Nation and USA Today

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