Grizzlies need Morant to provide immediate spark in return from suspension

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - The 6-19 Memphis Grizzlies are in need of a boost.

A two-time All-Star point guard may be exactly what they need.

Franchise cornerstone Ja Morant is set to return to the court Tuesday night, having served his 25-game suspension doled out by the NBA in June.

“I’m just as excited to see them (the fans) when that time comes,” he said of returning to play.

Despite some midseason turmoil, the Memphis Grizzlies finished the 2022-23 season at 51-31, good for second place in the Western Conference.

And even after a first-round exit to the Lakers, Grizzlies fans would be justified in an overt optimism for the future, with their three best players younger than 25 and a solid cast of veterans to lift them up.

The 2023-24 season has done nothing to support that optimism, starting with Morant’s absence but hardly ending there.

Injuries to veterans Steven Adams, Brandon Clarke and Marcus Smart have left the Grizzlies relying on outcasts like Bismack Biyombo, Jaylen Nowell and Jacob Gilyard to stay afloat.

“The decisions I’ve made didn’t allow me to be out there and go to battle with my teammates,” Morant said at a press conference last week.

Morant says he’s been studying film of his teammates through the season and is not worried about the team moving forward.

“I don’t think it’ll be long before we find it. I feel like we’ve been taking strides.”

Strides will not launch the Grizzlies back into playoff contention--only a huge leap will do that.

As of Tuesday morning, the Phoenix Suns hold the final Western Conference playoff spot--the 10th seed--with a 14-12 record.

But the Grizzlies are 7.5 games behind Phoenix already and cannot think about postseason play without an extended winning streak.

As it stands, the Grizzlies’ .240 winning percentage would be the franchise’s worst since moving to Memphis (The Vancouver Grizzlies had a worse winning percentage in 4 of their 6 seasons).

It’s no secret why the team has struggled. The Grizz rank dead last in offensive rating at 105.9.

A returning Morant is perhaps the only one equipped with the skills to fix that.

He scored 26.2 points per game in 2022-23, the 10th best mark in the NBA. He has been an offensive powerhouse since entering the league, stifling defenses with an otherworldly ability to get to the rim with his strength and athleticism.

You could even mistake that for a list of everything the team’s been missing in their first 25 games.

Morant says he’s felt guilt in seeing his team racking up losses while he’s watching on TV. And he knows that only his actions, not words, will put him back in the good graces of the league and his fans.

The only cure to all of this may be winning. And there is a lot the Grizzlies will need to do before April.

But a tough schedule lies ahead and there’s no telling how much, if any, rust Morant will need to shake off.

The Grizzlies’ first test with their star point guard comes Tuesday night, on national TV, in New Orleans against the Pelicans.

Tipoff is 6:30 p.m. Game on.

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