SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Ja Morant’s ability to take over a game hasn’t diminished. Morant didn’t miss a beat in leading the Memphis Grizzlies to a 126-124 season-opening victory over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night. The two-time NBA all-star finished with 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting, 10 assists and five rebounds in only 28 minutes.
It was the 24th game of his career where he had at least 20 points, 10 assists and five rebounds. “My job as a point guard is to control the game,” Morant said. “I hate if I let the other team’s point guard control the game.
Whatever I can do to make sure it’s in our favor, I try to do.” His performance comes on the heels of a 2023-24 season marred by controversy and injury. The NBA suspended him for the first 25 games for flashing a gun on his friend’s Instagram account.
Then, after appearing in just nine games, Morant suffered a season-ending shoulder injury . The long rehabilitation process he went through following shoulder surgery made Morant appreciate how much basketball meant to him while it was gone. Once he was cleared for full basketball activities again in mid-July, he looked forward to stepping back out on the court on Wednesday.
The moment was everything he expected and wanted. “I was just excited to be back out there,” Morant said. “These guys trust and believe in me every time I’m out there on the floor, so it’s only right I go out there and play free.
” Morant’s activity on both ends of the floor.
