Report: NBA could suspend Ja Morant with more stringency

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant has been in some hot water as of late, and it looks like his absence from the team could be longer than initially believed as a result.

“The league could suspend him even on top of the two games that he has already received,” said NBA insider Shams Charania. “… He’s away from the team. He’s essentially suspended, but from what I gather, he’s still being paid, so the NBA could come down with a more stringent penalty, more stringent discipline. But there are a lot of questions in this. Was that gun his? Does he have a license? Was this in Denver? Was it in L.A.? Has he been traveling with it as well?”

Morant has quickly gone from one of the brightest young stars in the league to a player with a pretty alarming track record of behavior. He seems to have surrounded himself with the wrong people who have guided him down a dangerous path.

It’s possible that the pressure that comes with all the fame and success of NBA stardom has gotten to Morant. It is also possible that the young star simply has some serious growing up to do. Thanks to his quick rise to stardom, he has already received lucrative endorsement deals off the court and is set to make a fortune with the Grizzlies over the next few years.

Recently, a couple of disturbing stories have come out related to Morant. First, it was reported that he engaged in a physical altercation with a teenager last summer and flashed a gun at him. In an unrelated situation last week, he was seen with an apparent gun during an Instagram Live.

As Charania mentioned, he’s currently away from the team.

On the court, Morant has been extremely impressive this season. He’s averaging 27.1 points, 8.2 assists and 6.0 boards per game so far. He is arguably the primary reason why the Grizzlies are the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference right now.

It will be interesting to see if the Grizzlies can stay afloat during Morant’s absence. It will also be interesting to see if the team makes it a priority to get him back before the playoffs start in just over a month.