Following a stunning 125–85 loss to the Lakers on Friday night that ended the season for the Grizzlies, star point guard Ja Morant lamented off-court issues that negatively impacted the team.
Morant, understandably, pointed a lot of the blame toward himself.
“I’ve just got to be better with my decision-making,” Morant said. “That’s pretty much it. Off-the-court issues affected us as an organization pretty much. Just [need] more discipline,” he said.
Morant served an eight-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the league after he flashed a handgun on an Instagram Live in a Denver nightclub prior to the playoffs. He returned for the last handful of regular season games and was a full participant for the Grizzlies in the playoffs, though he missed the team’s Game 2 win with a hand injury.
The suspension also came on the heels of reports of two offseason incidents investigated by local police in which Morant allegedly assaulted a high schooler during a pick-up basketball game outside the star’s Memphis home.
Morant knows that the issues off the court were a distraction for the team and is hoping to improve in that area moving forward.
“I feel like mine is more off the court and on the court–just being disciplined on both sides,” Morant said. “Off the court, making better decisions. On the court, being locked in even more. Being a leader of this team, it pretty much starts with me. So however I attack my situation, I know my guys will follow. I’ve just got to be better in that area.”
