“According To Them, Probably Don’t Play Me" - Ja Morant Decided To Take Some Direct Shots At The Coaching Staff After Blatantly Quitting During A Loss To The Lakers

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It's been a bit of a tough start to the season for the Memphis Grizzlies. While sitting at 3-3 and in the 8th spot in the West isn't the worst thing in the world, they are the owners of the worst point differential of any tam in the top 10 seeds in the West (-3.0). Against teams with a pulse, things haven't looked so great with losses to MIA/GS/LAL, with their only wins coming against NO/IND/PHX, three teams destined for the high lottery.

After last night, I would say they have much bigger problems on their hands than just their slow-ish start. It sure looks like they may have a Ja Morant problem, but not the kind we've seen in the past where it was him doing dumb shit on Instagram. This time, the issues are basketball related.

Not only did it look like he flat out quit in the game against the Lakers which was pretty bizarre

he was also pulling shit like this during timeouts, which isn't exactly what you're looking for from the leader and best player of the team

and after the game? Well let's just say this is what I would call throwing gasoline on the fire. We're only at Game 6 and we already have Ja Morant being passive aggressive and essentially going after the coaching staff

In the NBA, leadership starts at the top. It's on the best player/franchise player to set the tone for the entire team. If you want the glory of being THE GUY, then you need to hold up the responsibility that comes with it. Between his on court efforts and then the reaction postgame, I'd say Ja is doing the exact opposite at the moment. Part of that is showing accountablity, especially when you underperform. That's what good leaders do. 

What they don't do, is blame it all on the coaching staff and throw temper tantrums during games. Remember, this team just fired Taylor Jenkins, so at some point, it's not the coach. I'm not even sure how a coaching staff is responsible for your own energy and effort, which is what makes Ja's comments so confusing. Just take accountability for playing like shit! Vow to be better, show ownership and lead by example!

It may seem small and insignificant to some, but this type of thing can spread through an entire locker room and ultimately kill a season. We've seen it time and time again, especially when it's coming from the best player. When your best player quits in a game against a rival at home, in which you were winning, and then immediately goes at the coaching staff as a reason for it, that almost never ends well, I don't care who you are. Given how competitive the West is, you can't afford to throw away games like that, and as the losses pile up things only get worse. 

That's why to me, stuff like this is always a big deal. Chemistry, vibes, buy in, they're all extremely important components of a good team and a winning season. Once that trust is broken, it usually spells disaster for everyone involved.

So if you're the Grizzlies, what do you do? I'm not sure Ja's contract is all that movable right now given his durability issues and limitations around his game

and they literally just fired their coach, so I can't see them going that route again. So I guess you have to just stick it out and hope things get better? I'm not sure I love that option for them, because what have we seen that tells us things will improve if the best player is openly quitting during games and then doing shit like this? Quite the pickle if you ask me.

Also quickly as a side note, don't let this distract you from the fact that JJJ had just 4 rebounds and 6 fouls last night. He's averaging just 5 rebounds a game and 4.3 fouls per game. That would be the lowest rebounding averagine since 2019-20 and the highest foul average of his career. So, one franchise guy is quitting and calling out the coaches, and the other franchise guy still isn't rebounding or figuring out how not to foul. Can't say that feels like a recipe for success.