Latest on Grizzlies’ Ja Morant

NBA commissioner Adam Silver intends to wait until after the Finals to announce a punishment for Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, but sources and reports believe it will be substantial.

Morant was seen brandishing a firearm on social media for the second time in six months. Silver may have dropped some hints on the length of a suspension and fine during a press conference at the Finals, per Mark Giannatto of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

“We look at both the history of prior acts, but then we look at the individual player’s history as well, and the seriousness, of course, of the conduct,’ Silver told reporters. “So those are all things that get factored. It’s not an exact science. It comes down to judgment at the end of the day on the part of me and my colleagues in the league office.”

In other words, the league may be examining more than just Morant’s social media posts, as Giannatto noted.

That’s especially the case when you consider how Silver also said “we’ve uncovered a fair amount of additional information” in relation to Morant.

Silver did seem to indicate that he is more disappointed in Morant than angry. That could bode well for the Grizzlies star, who has already been suspended from offseason activities by the team.

“He seems to be a fine young man, in terms of my dealings with him,” Silver said. “I think he’s clearly made some mistakes, but he’s young and I’m hoping now, once we conclude, at the end of our process what the appropriate discipline is, that it’s not just about the discipline. It’s about now what (the league), the players association, his team and the people around him are going to do to create better circumstances going forward. That’s ultimately what’s most important here.”

• Meanwhile, Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. said that Morant is doing well after the latest gun incident. “He’s I think just growing up with this much attention on you, especially being this young,” Jackson said on the podcast from Clippers forward Paul George. “It’s a lot to deal with.”
• Jackson Jr. added: “People always gotta understand that everybody human. That’s my brother though, no matter what. I stand by my brother and I think that’s the lesson everybody should take away from this.”