Ja Morant blasts Grizzlies fan for hinting team management is not allowing him to play

Ja Morant made a tweet that seems to be a confirmation that he is injured and isn't being kept off the court.

Ja Morant blasts Grizzlies fan for hinting team management is not allowing him to play

Ja Morant

With the Memphis Grizzlies losing both of their previous games, fans of the team are starting to get restless. Some of the blame for their losses can be attributed to the absence of Ja Morant, who has missed 3 straight games for the team. Morant has tried to fend off right shoulder soreness for the better part of 2025. The No. 2 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft has had to sit out because of these reasons.

Ja Morant being absent is also harmful to the team’s fight to obtain the highest possible seeding in the Western Conference. Memphis is currently jostling with the Lakers, Nuggets, and Houston Rockets to land the No. 2 seed. Each of these teams is trying their level best to land on the other side of the bracket to the OKC Thunder, who are having the winningest season in franchise history this year and are currently 57-12 and the top-seeded NBA team alongside the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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With the team losing in blowout fashion to the lottery-bound Portland Trail Blazers, a few Grizzlies fans’ feathers were ruffled by Morant’s absence. An NBA Twitter staple (@RentFreeGrizzly) asserted that Morant’s act of retweeting Jalen Johnson’s post about getting back on the court was a sly way of hinting to his front office that he wants to be back in action.

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The fan’s tweet was obviously unsubstantiated, and Morant took exception to his confident tone. The Grizzlies star replied to the tweet, stating

clear evidence you just think you know sumn like everybody else & be wrong

Ja Morant tweeted

This tweet seems to be a confirmation that Morant is injured and isn’t being kept off the court. In either case, with the Grizzlies jockeying for the best possible seeding, it would make little sense for the team to rest its franchise player down the home stretch of the season. Morant has been averaging 31.3 points and 7.7 assists per game over his six March appearances.

Having him fit and ready for the playoffs is undoubtedly an area of focus. However, rushing him back to action without medical clearance would be a sign of desperation that the Grizzlies clearly shouldn’t show.

Can Ja Morant lead the Memphis Grizzlies on a deep playoff run?

Although Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr and GG Jackson have all taken strides, the Grizzlies’ ceiling is undoubtedly dictated by how their All-NBA point guard plays. Morant has had to endure frustration in 2023-24 and is clearly hungry and motivated this year. While taking a step back on his scoring focus, Morant has improved his decision-making as a pick-and-roll playmaker. He has also become a legitimate threat as a jump shooter from the elbow region in the past year or so.

The Grizzlies currently sit at the fifth spot out west, a game behind 2023 NBA champion Denver Nuggets. This playoff matchup would not be favorable for Memphis – Nikola Jokic has definitely had the measure of JJJ in recent times. If the Grizzlies are able to secure the second or third seed, they would be facing teams like the Warriors or Clippers, who they are better positioned to matchup in playoff series against.

Perhaps the best-case scenario for Memphis would be to encounter the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs. Although LeBron James and Luka Doncic would be impossible to cover, the Grizzlies have the size advantage in their frontcourt and can punish them in the paint area if their players stay fit. It will be interesting to see how Memphis is able to cope with whichever team they go up against. One thing is for certain – they will likely still be underdogs this year.