MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Ja Morant is in no mood to prove anyone wrong or forget everything he's gone through the past two years.
The Memphis Grizzlies point guard is just glad to be back on a basketball court again.
“Right now, I’m happy, and that's my main focus," Morant said Monday. "I feel like a happy Ja is a scary Ja for a lot of people. So long as I stay happy and healthy, it’ll be a great season.”
Morant’s descent to near irrelevance was much faster than his ascent from a No. 2 overall draft pick to a fresh young face of both the Grizzlies and the NBA. Now Morant is healthy after a suspension and a shoulder injury limited him to nine games last season.
He said at Grizzlies' media day that he's learned a lot with everything he's gone through on and off the court. Simply being the high-flying, fearless point guard again on the court could be the redemption tour needed by Morant, the Grizzlies and, yes, the NBA.
“I want to remember the feeling I felt each time, no matter what situation it was,” Morant said. “I feel like it helped me a lot, helped me grow into a better Ja. Right now, you know I'm probably the happiest I feel like I've been in a while.”
Morant soared on the court to 2020 NBA Rookie of the Year. The 2022 Most Improved Player helped Memphis earn the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference in back-to-back seasons.
He’s a two-time All-Star who earned a spot on the 2021-22 All-NBA team. It’s why the Grizzlies gave Morant a five-year, supermax contract in 2022 worth potentially as much as $231 million.
Then issues off the court started overshadowing Morant’s high-flying dunks and seeing-eye assists. He was suspended for eight games in March 2023 for displaying a gun on social media from a strip club. A second incident in May 2023 cost him the first 25 games of last season.
Morant returned last December, saying only his performance could prove his growth.
He played all of nine games, averaging 25.1 points and helping Memphis go 6-3. Then the Grizzlies announced Jan. 8 that Morant would miss the rest of the season needing surgery to repair a tear in his right shoulder after getting hurt in practice two days earlier.
Without Morant and an injury-riddled roster, Memphis finished 27-55 and drafted two-time AP Player of the Year Zach Edey out of Purdue at ninth overall.
Morant returned to practice during the summer and started working immediately with his newest teammate. Nike, among the sponsors who stuck by Morant, dropped his Ja 2 shoe last week along with a commercial on social media Sunday.
The theme? Getting back up when knocked down.
Morant's Grizzlies' teammates have seen it throughout the summer. Morant started working with Edey, especially on the court, once he was cleared in mid-July from his shoulder rehabilitation. Edey said Morant made him feel welcome to come work out with the team after he reached out to the guard.
“I'm just super thankful for that,” Edey said.
Coach Taylor Jenkins said it's been fun and impressive to watch Morant work with his teammates nonstop since being cleared to work again. Jenkins said he senses a renewed focus and joy for Morant after a tough year.
“Basketball was taken away from him, and that’s his joy. It’s his love,” Jenkins said. "He has so much to give to the game. He knows he has more to give to the game. He know he has more to give to this team, and that’s been his mentality. And I’ve loved seeing it blossom, and I’m going to hold him to it.”
Guard Desmond Bane said Morant is in great shape physically and with his game. He's most excited at seeing Morant being a leader speaking up.
“He's always had command of the gym, and you know people listen every time he speaks,” Bane said.
Watching Morant on the court is what everyone wants to see next.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Teresa M. Walker, The Associated Press
