4 Biggest Consequences Ja Morant Suspension has on the Memphis Grizzlies

Adam Silver finally let the cat out of the bag. After building the tension for the better part of a month, the NBA announced that Ja Morant is suspended 25 games to start the 2023-24 NBA season.

Silver first hinted at the severity of Morant’s suspension during the NBA Draft Lottery way back on May 17th. Since then, sports talk shows have devoted hours to speculating just how hard Silver would drop the hammer. Many thought the suspension would be close to 40 games. Most Grizzlies fans probably breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Morant would “only” miss 25 games. Still, Morant’s suspension is the ninth-longest in NBA history. The Memphis star will be out until roughly mid-December, assuming he clears the hurdles Silver has laid out for him.

Thankfully for the Grizzlies, Morant will be available for the majority of the season. Yet this suspension will undoubtedly still affect the Grizzlies offseason plans and regular-season results. Read on for the four biggest consequences of Ja Morant’s suspension.

1) No All-NBA, MVP, or other awards for Ja Morant

This first one is simple: thanks to the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), Ja Morant is not eligible for All-NBA recognition or any other major award – including MVP.

Morant earned second-team All-NBA honors in 2021-22. He seemed primed to repeat that feat this past season before his eight-game suspension for the first Instagram Live gun incident. By missing out on All-NBA, Morant missed out on a supermax contract – and $39 million.

Memphis is one of eight current NBA franchises that have never had a player win MVP. Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. could perhaps contend someday, but Morant is certainly Memphis’ best shot at this point. It appears the Grizzlies will still be seeking that elusive first MVP trophy in 2024-25.

2) Caution in offseason plans

It is no secret that Memphis needs a starting small-forward after letting Dillon Brooks know they would not be bringing him back “under any circumstances” (Shams Charania’s words, not the Grizzlies’).

Any major trade package for a player to fill that void – like OG Anunoby or Cam Johnson – would ideally include Grizzlies backup point guard Tyus Jones. The 27-year-old NBA veteran is considered among the best backup point guards in the league, and his $14 million expiring contract could be crucial for matching salary.

But does Memphis really want to trade away its backup point guard when its starter, Ja Morant, is automatically out for almost a third of the season? Plus, with Morant’s troubling injury history, his suspension might not be the only extended stretch he misses this year. Jones averaged 16.4 points and 8.1 assists per game in 22 games as a starter this season. He is more than capable of running the ship in Morant’s absence. 25 games without a point guard on the roster (Memphis also cut rookie point guard Kennedy Chandler before the playoffs) might scare the Grizzlies front office away from any deal involving Tyus Jones.

Frankly, I believe Memphis should still proceed with a trade involving Jones if that’s what it takes to land an elite wing. Desmond Bane has improved tremendously as a ball-handler and playmaker. He can handle part-time point guard duties. Luke Kennard can take some limited point guard minutes as well.

Most importantly, the Grizzlies still have one open roster spot. They could draft an experienced college point guard with the No. 25 pick to play backup. They could use the Mid Level Exception (MLE) to sign a veteran guard for around $12 million. Either way, it’s much easier to find a backup point guard than a 3-and-D wing with size. After two years of early playoff exits as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, Memphis must make all decisions through a May lens.

But will Zach Kleiman and the Grizzlies front office feel the same way? They may think Morant’s suspension necessitates keeping Jones, perhaps preventing a major offseason trade.

3) Heightened offensive load on Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr.

Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane have a 26-10 regular-season record without Ja Morant on the floor the last two seasons. Jackson Jr. averages 20.0 points per game in those contests, with Bane just a hair behind at 19.9 per game. Both of those guys possess All-Star talent – Jackson Jr. of course already achieved All-Star status in 2023, mainly for his defensive prowess – but this will be the longest stretch of their careers where they have to be the primary offensive creators.

I already noted how Bane will likely take on more point-guard duties during Morant’s suspension. He showed promising signs as a playmaker last season, bumping his assists average from 2.7 per game in 2021-22 to 4.4 per game in 2022-23. In fact, his 20.2% assist percentage ranked sixth among all wings, per Cleaning the Glass. If he maintains that same rate as a primary ball-handler, the Memphis offense can keep humming without its Morant-powered engine.

Jackson Jr. flashed his elite scoring potential during Morant’s first suspension when he averaged 28 points per game over a four-game span. His passing must improve – he ranked near the bottom of the league in assists per usage – but while Bane will take on more playmaking duties without Morant, it will be up to Jackson Jr. to be the everyday top scorer until his All-Star teammate returns.

How well the other two members of Memphis’ emerging Big 3 perform during Morant’s suspension will have ramifications beyond just next season. It could prove that this trio is championship-level already. Or if the Grizzlies struggle severely, it could hint that Memphis needs to keep star-hunting.

4) Morant’s last straw

On the court, Ja performed well in 2022-23. He averaged 26.2 points per game along with 8.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds – both career highs. Off the court, he had a horrible season. He faced controversy after controversy, from allegedly beating up a teenager in July 2022 to pointing a laser at the Pacers team bus in January 2023 to flashing a gun on Instagram Live while at a Denver nightclub in March to ultimately repeating that same mistake in May.

In a statement released today, Morant said, “I hope you’ll give me the chance to prove to you over time I’m a better man than what I’ve been showing you.”

The Grizzlies certainly will give him that chance, as they should. But this will now be essentially 35 games Morant has missed over two seasons due to off-court behavior (he sat out one game during the Pacers investigation in February and missed one extra game after his suspension ended in March). Injuries are one thing, but the face of your franchise cannot be missing huge chunks of the season for things within his control.

The Grizzlies are wedded to Morant for at least the next five years thanks to his $194 million contract. During that stretch, they could be one of the best teams in the NBA. They could win the first NBA Championship in Memphis franchise history. But more than any player development or roster moves, the Grizzlies franchise trajectory depends on Morant and whether he truly learns from his mistakes this time.

If he does prove to be the better man he promised in his statement, Ja Morant could become one of the most legendary comeback tales in sports history. He could be living evidence of something we all hope to be true: that we are not defined by our worst mistakes.

This 25-game suspension could derail the Grizzlies season. But to continue the train metaphor, it could also be the moment that truly gets Morant on track. How well his teammates perform without him and how well he uses this time to make the necessary changes in his life will determine the true consequences of Morant’s suspension.