It shocked most of the basketball world when the Memphis Grizzlies let go of head coach Taylor Jenkins as the team is amidst a fairly successful season. The firing has led to questions surrounding the future of Grizzlies star Ja Morant as more information is reported regarding the guard's outlook on the team.
On ESPN's podcast called “The Hoop Collective” with Brian Windhorst, Tim MacMahon, and Tim Bontemps, they spoke about Morant and his feelings about his situation. MacMahon would even say that there has always been a lot of speculation around Morant's future and even got notice from a general manager in the league that Morant had been “out on them.”
“There has been noise about Ja being unhappy all season long,” MacMahon said. “There has been noise about, hey you know could Memphis look to move Ja this summer? More so could Ja look to get out of Memphis this summer? Could Ja look to force a trade or at least request a trade? Could Memphis shop him this summer, there’s been a lot of that.”
“I was texting with a GM after this happened and ‘I would’ve told you they were definitely going to,” MacMahon continued. “Ja was out on them, they won games without him. They have to be sustainable.’ And he said, ‘This is a move that goes in the face of that.’ Basically, this is a ‘Hey Ja, you’re still our guy, everything we do is going to be based on what’s best for you, what optimizes you. They got away from that for a lot of the season and they are leaning hard back into it.”
Ja Morant reportedly “hates” the Grizzlies offense
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (left) and interim head coach Tuomas Iisalo (right) look on during the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at FedExForum.
Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
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With the Grizzlies interim head coach being Tuoman Iisalo, he now has the task of working with Morant for the rest of the season and be successful come playoff time when the team look to make some noise. However, Morant would even admit after the 134-127 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers last Saturday that it was “tough” for him to hear the news that Jenkins had been fired since the two have built a rapport since he entered the league.
“It’s tough for me. I’ve had Coach Taylor since I got here. Everything I’ve done in a Grizzlies jersey has pretty much been under him,” Morant said according to William Guillory of The Athletic. “It’s my first time really experiencing a coach leaving since I’ve been hooping. It was a lot to process. With the timing, it’s just tough. We had to quickly turn the page.”
While Morant will make the best of this season ahead, there is another report that he “hates the offense” in the way it's constructed.
“One league source who has seen Morant work out with the Grizzlies recently said, ‘Some days he looks like he’s ready to play, and some days he looks like he doesn’t want to be there … because he hates the offense,'” The Athletic wrote.
At any rate, Memphis is currently 44-30 which puts them fifth in the Western Conference as they next take on the Boston Celtics on Monday night.