There is still no word on when Ja Morant could return to the Memphis Grizzlies on the back of news that the player has started counseling. And an NBA insider has voiced fears over the point guard remaining on the team’s periphery for the remainder of the season.
The Grizzlies are second in the Western Conference with the NBA playoffs approaching and foster hopes of going all the way, which is going to be next to impossible if they don’t have their best player.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective podcast, Marc J. Spears claimed it’s possible that the player does not return to playing this season. Spears noted “there’s a lot going on” that he was not at liberty to mention but offered words of support to the player.
“My prayers to him, that he figures it out. There’s things I’m hearing that I’d rather probably not say on this podcast, but I hope he’s taking care of himself,” Spears said (H/T the New York Post). “I’m not really worried about the basketball part for him right now. I’m worried about the human part, and that, when he does come back, he’s healthy, mentally and physically.”
“My guess now is, not that you’d bet on this, is that he doesn’t play the rest of the season as he takes care of himself.”
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NBA stories via Google! Follow Us
Morant was suspended for two games earlier in March after filming himself toting a pistol on Instagram Live; the team has since announced that the ban is indefinite.
The video surfaced right after fresh information regarding reports pertaining to the player assaulting a teenager and threatening him with a gun came out.
Since then, photos of the guard being entertained by strippers have been released.
Morant has issued an apology over the video, taking full responsibility for his actions while vowing to seek help.
“I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down,” he said. “I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”
