Ja Morant has been the face of the Grizzlies since he was selected second overall in the 2019 Draft. While the Grizzlies are yet to make a serious Finals run in his sixth year with the team, it was clear to everyone that he would be the man expected to lead Memphis to an NBA title.
However, what was supposed to be a long period of stability for the Grizzlies was suddenly uprooted when Taylor Jenkins was fired weeks before the postseason was supposed to start.
With the Memphis Grizzlies rumors suggesting a lack of accountability as one of the main reasons for Jenkins’s departure, the team’s future suddenly looks a lot more uncertain.
With such a drastic move done before the end of the season, news circulated about possible futures for the rest of the roster. Surprisingly, Morant is a name included in the whispers.
RUMOR: Ja Morant was the main catalyst for Taylor Jenkins’s departure
Sportsnaut’s Jason Burgos penned a detailed account on the drama surrounding Taylor Jenkins and his departure from the Grizzlies.
He revealed that Morant’s thoughts on his former head coach’s playbook was a catalyst for the axing:
“Morant played his entire career for Jenkins. And remained supportive of the coach up to the end, a league source said. Morant did not, however, like the new offense,” the outlet revealed. “… When he’s been on the court, according to a league source, Morant has complained about the new scheme. Which takes the ball out of his hands and removes the screens he likes to use as a ball handler to make plays.
“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.’”
It’s quite obvious with the box score how Ja Morant didn’t feel comfortable with how his former head coach approached the team’s offense. The man is averaging 22.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 1.2 steals through 43 starts. He last averaged these kinds of numbers during his second year in the league.
If the rumors are true, then Memphis have a conundrum on their hands. Finding a suitable head coach who can transform the Grizzlies into an elite outfit with less than two weeks left in the regular season will be tough.
The front office may have thrown the towel for the season and will be looking for a more capable head coach for Morant and the Grizzlies in the summer.
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