The Memphis Grizzlies reportedly have decided to leave more road cities, especially “glitzier ones” like Miami, immediately after games instead of staying overnight this season.
The Grizzlies are hoping to curtail nightlife habits of the team this season, as Memphis is just 13-22 on the road in the 2022-23 campaign.
“Memphis, despite owning the third-best record in the West, is a dismal 13-22 on the road, which numerous team insiders have blamed on a lack of maturity and focus emanating from [Ja] Morant — who otherwise is averaging 27.1 points and a career-best 8.2 assists in an All-Star season,” The Athletic’s Joe Vardon and Sam Amick wrote.
“There have even been travel measures taken to curtail nightlife habits this season, with the Grizzlies leaving more road cities (especially the glitzier ones, like Miami) immediately after the game instead of staying overnight. Additional accountability measures may follow.”
Morant was recently suspended by the NBA for eight games for conduct detrimental to the league after he flashed a firearm on Instagram Live while in a strip club during the team’s road trip in Denver.
The Grizzlies recently played in Miami, losing 138-119 on Wednesday night. Morant missed the game due to his suspension.
It’s certainly concerning that such a young team is having these struggles on the road, especially since the Grizzlies have title aspirations this season.
Memphis finished with the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference last season, and it is currently the No. 3 seed behind the Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets.
The team needs Morant to truly contend for a title, and it sounds like the team will welcome him back into the lineup once his suspension is over. However, head coach Taylor Jenkins spoke about keeping Morant accountable going forward.
“We (will) sit down and talk to him and guide him through this process,” Jenkins said. “That’s going to be our focal point, on and off the court. As I said in the beginning, support and accountability — that’s what we are focused on. Not just in these recent couple of weeks, but moving forward.
“Obviously, things are going to be different.”
Morant’s actions on Instagram Live are unacceptable, but it’s a good learning moment for the young star, and hopefully it will help him turn things around off the court in the rest of his career.
For Memphis, getting Morant back should help it make a push for the No. 2 seed, as it has the same record as Sacramento entering Thursday’s action.
The Grizzlies will have to play road games in the postseason no matter which seed they get, so it will be interesting to see how the organization curtails the team’s partying habits when the time comes.