Ja Morant is in the news for all the wrong reasons right now. The Memphis Grizzlies star has remained tight-lipped about his issue with coach Tuomas Lisalo. The altercation had led to his suspension for the game against the Toronto Raptors.
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The star guard reportedly got into a heated exchange with Lisalo after the Grizzlies’ loss against the LA Lakers last Friday. Morant had a terrible night on the court, too, managing to score just eight points.
The struggling Grizzlies are currently 12th on the Western Conference table, having won three and lost five. Reacting to the incident, Carmelo Anthony criticized Morant, practically asking him to behave like an adult.
“The good thing is it’s early on in the season and we can still sit down and get ahead of this,” Anthony said, adding that this was a ‘two-fold’ issue.
“Ja has to man up. He’s been through all of this before. This is something new. You are being tested again to see if you are going to fold or if you are going to stand the test of time,” Melo asserted.
“The coach is testing you. The city, the fans are testing you. Take ownership of your part, and still go out there and do what you have got to do because you are not traded yet,” he continued.
“You’re still going to be there. You are going to have [a] meeting among the powers that be, and they say, ‘Hey, we don’t want to get rid of you.’ Then how are you going to go back out there and perform?” Asked the 10x All-Star.
Melo believes that once Morant can get into that mental zone where basketball takes precedence in his life, things are going to be drastically different. The Hall of Famer claimed that in Morant, he sees a guy who’s fighting and trying to figure out who’s on his side and who’s not.
“Listen, Ja, Man. This is basketball. Ain’t no loyalty in sports. This is what we gotta do. This is what we gotta deal with! Put your big boy pants on, let’s go play basketball,” advised Anthony.
At this point, one can only hope Morant pays heed to the advice given to him. If he doesn’t, he’s digging a hole deep enough not just for himself and the Grizzlies as well.
