Ja Morant’s 2024-2025 season with the Memphis Grizzlies spiraled before it could ever stabilize. The explosive guard, hoping to silence the haters, who had been fixated on his off-court issues, was hampered by several injuries, so much so that he exited a critical playoff game with a lower leg injury that reignited questions about his durability.
Advertisement
Just days before the Grizzlies’ Play-In collapse, team executives fired head coach Taylor Jenkins. Then, over the past week, came another jolt — Memphis traded longtime co-star Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic for draft picks.
Once a rising power in the West, some believe the Grizzlies now sit back at square one. Morant’s leadership, focus, and place in Memphis have now faced increased intense scrutiny, with insiders and pundits believing he should be traded. With controversy off the floor and chaos on it, no one can say for certain what comes next.
Desmond Bane’s departure opened the floodgates, and Bleacher Report ignited more speculation by floating a blockbuster idea — Ja Morant to the Miami Heat, several weeks ago. Thankfully for the Grit and Grind faithful, that scenario has not happened, but league chatter keeps snowballing.
On The Big Podcast with Shaq, Shaquille O’Neal got straight to the point. He asked former Grizzlies great Zach Randolph if he had spoken with Morant during these turbulent stretches.
Randolph did not flinch. “Ja, he’s a special player,” he said. “I always say he’s special. We need him in Memphis. That’s the city, that’s the team [he’s] everything. He’s one of the best players in the NBA right now. I just think [because of] the things he been through, I just tell him, you going to be all right. Just keep your head up.”
Randolph earned the right to speak from experience. He spent 8 seasons in Memphis, averaged 17.2 points and 10.5 rebounds, and saw the franchise retire his No. 50 jersey on December 11, 2021. His Memphis ride hit rough patches, too — including a 2011 fight and a 2012 DUI — but he powered through and carved his name into team lore.
Z-Bo did not preach from a distance. He lived it. That is why his message to Morant about bouncing back carries a lot of weight. “It’s about how you bounce back and how he bounces back. He’s got to keep on gaining and keep on moving forward to what he’s doing and stacking and stacking days and coming back healthy and proving everybody wrong.”
Zach Randolph trusts Ja Morant — now it’s Morant’s turn to prove him and the rest of his supporters right.
