Early-season drama has become a Grizzlies theme over the last three seasons, as they have dealt with the fallout from a situation involving Ja Morant. He began the season serving a 25-game suspension in 2023, which led to a horrific start for the team, with a 6-19 record. He had X (formerly Twitter) spats with a fan about players playing through injuries at the beginning of last season.
Now, he is battling frustrations with the coaching staff over a situation that blew up last weekend with his effort, postgame comments, and one-game suspension. In his return from the one-game absence, Morant looked lethargic throughout the game, but overcame his shooting struggles (5-16 from the field) to finish with a double-double of 18 points and 10 assists.