Ja Morant is getting ready for his return to action after missing the last nine Memphis Grizzlies games due to his off-court issues.
The superstar guard was suspended eight games by his team and the NBA due to a social media post where he live-streamed himself holding what appeared to be a gun at a nightclub in Denver on March 4.
Morant spent 11 days in a Florida counseling facility in order to find ways to deal with stress and control his off-court issues, which caused a lot of negative attention over the last few weeks.
Ja Morant: "Right now for me, it's just keeping the main thing, the main thing and continuing to go through my process of becoming a better me."
ESPN story on Ja's first media session after rejoining the Grizzlies: https://t.co/Y6n0toBTkX
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) March 21, 2023
“Obviously took that time to better myself, get in a better space mentally,” Ja Morant told media Tuesday, via Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
“It’s an ongoing process, a continued process for me. Obviously, I’ve been there for two weeks, but that doesn’t mean I’m completely better. So that’s an ongoing process for me that I’ve still been continuing since I’ve come out.”
The All-Star guard made it clear that he has no alcohol problems, but managing stress has been his main concern so far.
“I don’t have an alcohol problem, never had an alcohol problem,” Ja Morant said. “I went [to Florida] for counseling to learn how to manage stress, cope with stress in a positive way instead of ways I’ve tried to deal with it before that caused me to make mistakes.”
"I don't have an alcohol problem"
– Ja Morant
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) March 21, 2023
The Grizzlies expect Ja Morant to make his return during the two-game home series with the Houston Rockets this week. It is very likely he will be on minutes restriction as he has been out since early March.
Morant has told the Memphis coaching staff that he is willing to come off the bench until he fully returns to form. The Grizzlies, who are second in the West standings with a 44-27 record, have won three in a row and went 6-3 in the nine games that Morant missed.
Ja Morant has told the team he’s willing to come off the bench as he returns from suspension and his minutes are gradually increased to normal. Taylor Jenkins said that is being considered tomorrow vs. Rockets.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) March 21, 2023