Even In Street Clothes, Ja Morant Is The Drama

Ja Morant's season—even when he has been healthy or between suspensions—has been nothing to write home about. The Memphis Grizzlies' highest-paid player has been one of the most disappointing performers in the NBA this season, averaging just 17.9 points per game (lowest since his rookie year) on 36/13/94 shooting splits (at least he's making his free throws). Memphis is 6-11, not good enough to compete in a loaded Western Conference but also not bad enough to blow it up and tank for a high pick in next summer's loaded draft. Mediocre with a dim future is the worst place for an NBA team to be.

That brings us to Saturday's game between Memphis and the Dallas Mavericks. Morant was not a factor on the court, missing his third straight game with a calf strain. However, even with Memphis picking up the win against the visiting Mavs, one of the few West teams in worse shape than Memphis, Morant turned himself into the story once more.

After the final whistle, Morant ran up to Mavs guard Klay Thompson and began pointing and talking shit to the four-time champ, who had a game-high 22 points. The entirety of what was said is unclear, aside from Morant saying "you a bum now" to Thompson, but the exchange was heated and required several members of both teams' security details to break up.

After the game, Thompson would only allude to what he and Morant discussed, saying that the Grizzlies guard was "running his mouth, and he's been running his mouth for a long time, and it's funny to run your mouth when you're on the bench." Thompson further alluded to Morant's suspensions, adding in a bit of concern trolling for good measure: "We all want to see him out there and do his best, but he's just been letting a lot of other stuff get in the way of that. We need that in the NBA. We need our best players to be out there, and when you're a star, it comes with a great responsibility. I hate to see that go to waste."

Thompson then said that while he respected the Grindhouse Grizzlies of a decade ago, the current Memphis team talks a lot but "never really back it up. I don't really respect that." For his part, Morant left the scuffle with Thompson without escalating it, but he did take one more verbal swing. Walking over to teammate Cam Spencer's postgame interview, Morant chimed in, telling Spencer to "tell 'em who the best shooter in the house was. It wasn't bro from Golden State."

A November matchup between two teams deep below .500 isn't going to make a huge mark on the season as a whole, and there probably won't be any disciplinary action as a result of the shenanigans, but Morant just can't help himself from making the Grizzlies' campaign about him. It's a shame, as Thompson said, because Morant at his best was one of the most exciting players in the NBA, a whirlwind of speed that played with fearless (some might say reckless) abandon. That's not the Morant that has shown up this season, and compounding his poor play with a suspension for some light insubordination and some unnecessary needling of opponents is just a tedious bummer. The best resolution for everyone might just be a trade away from Memphis, though I'm not sure who would want to take on the baggage that comes with him. That stuff is a lot easier to live with in a superstar in the making, but that's not who Ja Morant is anymore.