Memphis Grizzlies big sounds off on polarizing star Ja Morant
By Mark Nilon
The Memphis Grizzlies are a club chock full of young and promising talents seemingly from top to bottom. Though headlined by the likes of superstar Ja Morant, Taylor Jenkins’ rotation possesses a bevy of highly capable ballers, some of whom are established All-Stars while others could be right on the cusp of receiving such a moniker.
Having these types of talents in tow will certainly come in handy during their lead guard’s 25-game suspension to start the 2023-24 campaign and fellow-star cohort Jaren Jackson Jr recently shared his excitement to see Morant make his way back to the hardwood following the conclusion of his league-issued hiatus.
"“That’s my brother, though. Like no matter what, like I stand by my brother and I think that’s like the lesson everybody should take away from this,” Jackson said, as transcribed by Joey Linn of FanNation.“Everybody’s gonna say whatever but they’re everybody, and it never matters at the end of the day. It’s your family, it’s your brother. That’s just how I am. It’s not like a code thing, that’s my dog, so I’m gonna ride with him. He’s gonna get right back to running the league like he does, he gonna get right back to jumping over everybody. He gonna get back to running it just like he does. He already knows that, you know, he works hard.”"
Jackson has been quite vocal about himself and the entire Grizzlies organization throughout this summer, and he recently dished on his own personal motivations heading into the new season.
"“There’s no more motivation I need than how we left last year,” Jackson said. “It’s a moment you’re going to remember and you have to make something good out of it. Otherwise, it don’t make sense and it don’t matter.”"
"There's no more motivation I need than how we left last year. It's a moment you're going to remember and you have to make something good out of it. Otherwise it don't make sense and it don't matter."
— Clayton Collier (@ClaytonJCollier) July 28, 2023
Jaren Jackson Jr. on what's motivating him this offseason. pic.twitter.com/GCk48wORNN
The Grizzlies find themselves coming off their second consecutive second-seeded finish in the Western Conference, sporting a stellar record of 51-31.
Unfortunately, for the second time in three seasons, they were on the losing side of their first-round matchup, being ousted by the Los Angeles Lakers in just six games.
However, with their slew of offseason moves, Memphis is heading into the campaign viewed as a legitimate threat to dethrone the reigning champion Denver Nuggets and, in turn, compete for the 2024 crown themselves.
Of course, in order to accomplish such a goal they’ll need their entire rotation to be intact, specifically with Ja Morant leading the charge.
It appears Jackson, along with several others believes the point guard will provide the Grizzlies with a change for the better upon his return.
