Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. was a guest on “Podcast P with Paul George” on Monday and gave an update on teammate Ja Morant. The two-time All-Star guard is currently suspended indefinitely from all team activities over another incident with a gun on social media.
“He’s good,” Jackson said Monday on George’s podcast. “He’s, I think, just growing up with this much attention on you, especially being this young. It’s a lot to deal with. Dude’s great. People always gotta understand that everybody human. That’s my brother though, no matter what. I stand by my brother, and I think that’s the lesson everybody should take away from this.”
How Did Morant Get Here?
The incident that led to Morant’s latest suspension was from a social media video seen earlier last month, where Morant was waving a gun while riding in a car with friends. It is the second time in three months Morant has been seen on social media with a gun.
Morant was suspended for eight games towards the end of the regular season because of three separate incidents where he and members of his party allegedly threatened others. In two of the three incidents a gun was alleged to be present.
The belief is that the league will come down with a pretty severe penalty on Morant once the NBA Finals concludes. Commissioner Adam Silver spoke about the Morant situation before Game 1 of the finals.
“So in assessing what discipline is appropriate, if that’s the case, we look at both the history of prior acts, but then we look at the individual player’s history as well,” Silver said. “And the seriousness, of course, of the conduct. Those are all things that get factored.
“It’s not an exact science. It comes down to judgment at the end of the day on the part of me and my colleagues in the league office. In terms of the timing, we’ve uncovered a fair amount of additional information, I think, since I was first asked about the situation. I will say we probably could have brought it to a head now, but we made the decision, and I believe the Players Association agrees with us, that it would be unfair to these players and these teams in the middle of the series to announce the results of that investigation.”
That suggests that there is more to the story that likely will not benefit Morant. Some have speculated that Morant could get up to a 41-game suspension, which would be half of the regular season.
After serving the original eight-game suspension Silver believed Morant understood the gravity of the situation. Getting into trouble barely a couple months later shows he does not.
Consequences For Poor Judgment
Morant is only 23 and the hope is that he will grow and learn from these situations. Dealing with sudden success, fame and riches is not easy. But his continued lack of judgment puts him and by extension the others that depend on him in bad positions.
He’s already facing some of the consequences of that poor judgment.
Team USA is announcing its roster that will compete in the FIBA World Cup this summer. This tournament has always been one where Team USA selects young NBA stars and up and coming stars who will soon feature on Team USA in the Olympics.
A good showing at this tournament will at least get you an invite to the camp.
Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Jackson Jr., All-Stars Anthony Edwards, Brandon Ingram, and Tyrese Haliburton are among the confirmed players this summer.
This would’ve been an opportunity for Morant to show out on the world stage and set him up to potentially be the starting point guard for Team USA next summer in Paris. Instead he’s wondering how long he’s going to be away from the NBA and the game he loves.
