Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins offered his support to Ja Morant while addressing his absence from the team on Sunday in light of a string of concerning off-court incidents involving the star point guard.
Morant, who will be away from the team for at least the next two games, is currently under investigation by the NBA over an Instagram video that appeared to show him brandishing a firearm in a nightclub. The shocking video followed a Wednesday afternoon report detailing an incident in which Morant allegedly punched a 17-year-old and flashed a gun at him during a pickup basketball game last summer.
With Morant absent for Sunday’s road game against the Clippers, Jenkins told reporters the team does not have a timeline for when the 23-year-old will return. Jenkins also acknowledged Morant’s previously reported desire to seek help while he’s away, calling the situation an “ongoing healing process,” according to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk.
“We take it very seriously,” Jenkins said, per Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times. “There are two elements to this I want to make very clear. There’s a supportive element, someone that’s got to get better and needs some help. And then also there’s accountability with the team that we got to stand for.
“Obviously, nationwide and leaguewide, there’s a lot of attention on gun violence. And, for us, internally, in this matter that’s the stance that we’ve taken about how we can support Ja throughout this growth opportunity—it’s a learning opportunity.”
Memphis will continue to be patient with Morant, and the two-time All-Star expressed his desire to better deal with stress in a statement following the announcement of the investigation.
“I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies’ organization for letting you down,” the statement read. “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.”
On the season, Morant has averaged 27 points, six rebounds and 8.2 assists per game this season for the second-place Grizzlies (38–24). Following Sunday’s game against the Clippers, Memphis will stay in L.A. for a Tuesday matchup against the Lakers.
