Memphis star Ja Morant admitted that his off-court antics affected his team this season: ‘I just got to be better with my decision-making’

Although the Memphis Grizzlies showed fans that their second-youngest roster in the NBA has the potential for greatness, playing in the regular season is never the same as the playoffs, and their series against the Lakers just went to show that these young athletes still have much to learn.

One of the most honest was their star Ja Morant, who admitted his off-court escapades were a distraction for his teammates and promised to leave those attitudes in the past.

"I've just got to be better with my decision-making. That's pretty much it. Off-the-court issues affected us as an organization pretty much. Just [need] more discipline."

– Ja Morant

(Via ESPN) pic.twitter.com/k5oicdLPRX

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 29, 2023

“This is probably that moment in time that’s going to be the ultimate wake-up call,” his coach Taylor Jenkins said.

“Are we going to really understand it’s the preparation in the offseason and the preparation in the season? It’s what you do at work, off the court. Clearly, things that we’ve got to control and just embrace it together.”

The young point guard, who signed a five-year supermax contract last year, now has to prove his can mature throughout the summer after he was suspended by the league during eight matches after he posted himself drunk on social media, partying in a night club after a game while flashing a gun.

The player with the franchise’s highest scoring record in single-season (average of 26.2 points a game), now understands he must be a leader for his squad. “I just got to be better with my decision-making,” Morant admitted. “That’s pretty much it. My off-the-court issues affected us as an organization pretty much. Just more disciplined.”

“Honestly, I feel like we put ourselves in that situation with our past mistakes, and now it’s only right that we focus in and lock in on being smarter and more responsible, holding each other accountable for everything,” he continued.

According to their three-year guard Desmond Bane, injuries and suspensions also affected their title-contending case this season, as they missed center Steven Adams, Brandon Clarke and Luke Kennard during crucial moments of the campaign.

“It would be dumb to say that (injuries) didn’t play a part in it,” Bane assured. ”(Adams) was a part of what we did all season along. Obviously (Clarke) was, too.”

Coach Jenkins knows that from a ‘maturity standpoint’ the Grizzlies are far off

Lack of maturity seems to be the common denominator in most Memphis players’ testimonies over what affected their playoff exit. “Obviously, we’re far from where we need to be from a maturity standpoint,” Jenkins said. “This is all experience that you can only gain from.”

Take a look at what superstar Ja Morant said in his exit interview this past Sunday:

After their last game on Friday night, the team’s trainer knew exactly what must change. “I think we have a great culture and your culture’s going to get tested,” Jenkins said. “There’s going to be opportunities that are going to see how strong you are, how together you are, how resilient you are, how disciplined you are.

“And then are you really building something day in and day out to ultimately try to win a championship? It doesn’t happen overnight. Nothing is going to be a straight line.”