Ja Morant made his comeback as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Houston Rockets and clinched their place in the NBA playoffs on Wednesday.
Morant came off the bench for the first time in his career and scored 17 points to lead the Grizzlies to 130-125 victory against the Rockets, who sit bottom of the Western Conference. It was Morant’s first appearance since serving an eight-game suspension following an ill-advised video posted to social media.
The guard excelled as he added five assists and two steals while Jaren Jackson Jr. led the way with 37 points in the victory. The result secured Memphis’ progression to the postseason with the franchise second in the conference behind only Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.
As Morant made his highly-anticipated return to action, his father, daughter and uncle all wore matching jumpers with the two-time All-Star’s face across along with the word ‘Redemption’. When asked about the attire after the win, the Grizzlies star revealed he is focused on righting his wrong of recent times.
“That was my family's idea,” Morant said. “It’s me coming back after some negative things have been said constantly throughout this whole basically, what, year and a half now. How I felt? Kind of like a redemption, obviously. It could have been worse.
“I got a second chance. I feel like it's only going to make it right. Show who Ja is as a person.”
Earlier this month, Morant was filmed dancing topless in a club before he appeared to lift a firearm to the side of his head after the Grizzlies lost to the Denver Nuggets earlier this month. Last week, the NBA announced Morant would be suspended for a further eight games without pay after league commissioner Adam Silver insisted his actions were ‘irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous’.
Morant had been away from the Grizzlies action for nearly three weeks as he attended counselling in Florida but linked back up with his teammates on Monday. The 2019 NBA Draft second overall pick recently told reporters the counselling he underwent was related to his stress, and while he noted he is not completely better, he revealed he is focused entirely on his return to basketball.
Grizzlies head coach Jenkins praised Morant for quickly acclimatising while he also revealed the former Murray State star - selected second overall in the 2019 NBA Draft - addressed coaches and players upon returning. The 23-year-old was on the sidelines in the win over the Dallas Mavericks as part of his process and he returned to action against the Rockets on Wednesday.
Morant - who was given a standing ovation when joining the game - was quick to play down his return, insisting he just wanted to help the team that had continued to compete at the top of the Western Conference in his absence.
"I didn't want to come back and mess any of that chemistry up. I was watching film once my time was getting closer to being back, watching how they was playing.
"It's different from watching and actually being out there. So getting back into the flow, getting back into the offense. Also getting back comfortable with everything. My mental is very important to me, and that was one of the reasons why."
The Grizzlies won six of their nine contests without their star but fans and teammates alike were undoubtedly pleased to welcome Morant - who signed a five-year deal worth $231million (£187.41m) in the offseason - back to the court heading into the final stretch of the regular season. He is averaging 26.9 points per game in the 2022/23 NBA season to go with 8.1 assists and his presence certainly boosts any hopes Memphis have of contending for the NBA championship.
Morant’s Grizzlies possess a 45-27 record and sit second in the Western Conference after going on a four-game winning run. They take on the 18-55 Rockets in their next contest at FedExForum on Friday night.
