Ja Morant’s performance was the bigger story in the Memphis Grizzlies’ 117-112 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, a game highlighted by Luka Doncic dropping 44 points. Morant looked out of sorts throughout and finished with just eight points and seven assists.
Morant’s numbers were disappointing even before you put them next to Doncic’s. After coming back from injury earlier this season, fans were hoping for a spark. Instead, Friday night only added to concerns about whether he can regain his form anytime soon.
Some in the NBA community had already started raising questions about Morant even before Friday’s game. One person who spoke up was former All-Star Blake Griffin, now working as an analyst for Prime Video.
Blake Griffin tells Ja Morant to play with more urgency
This has been a rough stretch for Memphis without question. At 13-24 on the season and sitting 13th in the Western Conference, they’re already facing an uphill battle just to make it into play-in range.
The Grizzlies have been hit hard by injuries too, which hasn’t helped their cause at all. But even so, they were expected to be better than this given the core of young talent still on hand.
Morant’s return from suspension was supposed to give them some new life, but that hasn’t panned out yet either.
The road ahead doesn’t get any easier. Next up is a tough matchup against Chris Paul and the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night – another team fighting hard just to stay in playoff contention themselves.
Morant draws criticism from Griffin after Lacklustre outing
Griffin was open about his disappointment with Morant’s effort, saying the Grizzlies missed a real chance to get the win. Memphis had six players in double figures, but Morant wasn’t one of them, finishing with just eight points. If he’d managed even a modest total, it could have tipped the balance.
The loss dropped Memphis to 3-3 rather than lifting them into an early top-three spot. Griffin pointed out that while Morant is known for his energy and speed, neither trait was evident on this particular night.
Griffin added: “For a guy who’s making $40 million and needs to be a leader on this team, I just don’t love it. I don’t know if he wasn’t feeling well or if he’s hurt, but that to me is a very bad sign. It has to change.”
“The Memphis Grizzlies will only go as far as Ja Morant takes them. When he’s engaged, we’ve seen it. He’s unbelievable; he’s an all-world talent,” Griffin continued.
Morant’s relationship with the coaching staff raises concerns
There were already some whispers about tension with the coaching staff during Taylor Jenkins’ time in charge, though nothing was ever confirmed. But now, it seems there are fresh issues brewing between Morant and new head coach Tuomas Iisalo.
After the game, Morant deflected several questions toward the coaching staff and didn’t seem too interested in engaging with the media. It was a tone that matched some of Griffin’s earlier comments about his lack of urgency.
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The Grizzlies need their star player fully bought in if they’re going to make any real progress this season. Early signs of friction between Morant and Iisalo aren’t what anyone in Memphis wants to hear, especially when team chemistry is so important at this stage of the year.
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