Memphis Grizzlies problem is not the fall but the landing

Saying that the past week for the Memphis Grizzlies has been complex would be an understatement, to say the least. Up until last week, the Grizzlies were the second-strongest team in the Western Conference and never missed an opportunity to make it clear to everyone how unafraid they were of their opponents.

Then, in the span of a few days, everything that could go wrong went wrong. The team's star, Ja Morant, ended up in the eye of the storm after appearing in an Instagram video displaying what appeared to be a gun.

One of the key elements of the second unit, Brandon Clarke, ruptured his Achilles tendon and will be forced to miss the rest of the season.

Adding further fuel to the fire was Canadian guard Dillon Brooks. The player first started a sterile controversy with Draymond Green and then reached 16 technical fouls on the season, automatically receiving a game suspension.

Per NBA rules, Brooks will now be suspended for every two technical fouls he commits between now and the end of the season.

In short, Memphis hasn't missed anything in the last few days. But let's try to get some order and, first of all, analyze what happened to Ja Morant.

This, so far, has not been an easy year for the Grizzlies star. Although, on paper, his numbers remain excellent, the overall quality of his performance has been slightly down.

More importantly, his behavior away from the court has begun to worry. Before the incident a few days ago on Instagram, Morant had already been the focus of an investigation by the NBA for incidents that occurred after a game against the Indiana Pacers.

After that game, some of Morant's acquaintances had approached Pacers players in threatening tones. Soon after, as the Pacers were leaving the arena on their bus, a car allegedly pulled alongside the bus and pointed a laser at the players.

Members of Pacers security believed that that laser came from a firearm; after conducting its own investigation, the NBA did not confirm this assumption. However, one thing is certain: Morant was inside the car that had pulled alongside the Pacers' bus.

The Grizzlies were already aware of two other Morant-related incidents that occurred during the offseason and were only revealed to the public in recent days.

This summer, Morant allegedly first threatened a security guard at a mall because he had been disrespectful to his mother, and a few days later, he allegedly beat and threatened with a firearm a minor who had been present at his home to participate in a pickup game.

Both of these incidents are still subject to investigation, so drawing firm conclusions would not be correct. Finally, of course, there is the latest episode that occurred in Denver.

On the evening of March 3, the Grizzlies played an away game against the Denver Nuggets. After a 113-97 loss, Morant went to a local club with some friends.

In the early morning hours, Morant was still in the club and started an Instagram live video showing what appeared to be a gun. The video, of course, immediately began circulating on social media.

The Grizzlies player issued a public apology and deleted, at least temporarily, all of his social media profiles. Colorado authorities chose not to proceed against the player, believing there was not enough evidence to initiate proceedings.

The NBA, for its part, is investigating to ascertain all the facts and may also decide to suspend the player. Morant, meanwhile, will remain away from the Grizzlies for at least four more games.

This latest episode is not only a problem for Ja Morant but also a confirmation of a more general situation plaguing the Grizzlies this season.

A few days before the game against the Nuggets, the Memphis players held a locker room meeting. Steven Adams, the only veteran on the roster, had criticized his teammates for not having a sufficiently professional attitude on the road.

Several Memphis players often ended up in clubs and discos during several away trips this season, demonstrating a typical problem that plagues younger teams: a widespread lack of accountability.

Morant is not only the technical leader of the team but should also be the character leader of this group.

If, after an away loss, the one who is supposed to be the leader of the team decides to go to a club and stay there until the wee hours of the morning, he is certainly free to do so but just as surely does not send a great message to teammates who look to him as a reference point.

The core of the Grizzlies' roster has an average age of no more than 24. The team's two main stars, Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr., are both 23 years old. Other standouts on the team, such as Brooks, Tyus Jones, and John Konchar, are all between 26 and 27 years of age.

Desmond Bane, another key player for the Grizzlies, is 24 years old. Many elements of this roster are still in their rookie contract, which makes Memphis' salary situation very sustainable.

Steven Adams is the only player close to 30 with some experience in major locker rooms. Leaving moral judgments aside, Morant and his other teammates need to understand that if they want to make the final leap forward, they need to become genuine contenders, and certain attitudes cannot continue.

And there's still plenty of room to grow, knowing that the Grizzlies are +1800 (19.00) in odds to win the NBA championship.

Morant's signed an extension in the coming season, netting him nearly $34 million a year.

In the final year of the contract extension, the Memphis point guard could end up making nearly $42 million. The Grizzlies have been on the rise for a couple of years now. After missing the playoffs in the 2019-20 season due to losing the play-in game, the Grizzlies are coming off two straight trips to the playoffs.

Last season, they went out in the conference semifinals against the Golden State Warriors while still giving Stephen Curry and his crew a run for their money. The growth has been evident, but the problems are still there.

Memphis has been near-perfect at home this season and currently has a record of 26 wins and only 5 losses on the home court.

However, on the road, the performance has been decidedly more negative. Taylor Jenkins' team has won only 12 of the 33 games played away from Memphis so far, an absolutely inadequate performance.

Coming out of this complicated period for such a young team will not be a walk in the park. If Memphis really wants to be one of the best teams in the NBA and have a chance to contend for the title, they have to start acting like one.

Dillon Brooks needs to avoid provoking every opponent he encounters and improve on shots selection, as he takes many 3-point shots for a player with bad percentages.

Ja Morant needs to understand that his star role on the court must necessarily be accompanied by more professionalism off the court. Morant is the father of a young child and needs to try to be a better example for her.

It is clear that at 23 years old, holding up the level of pressure that Morant has to handle is by no means easy, but it is part of being an NBA star. These are two things that are almost impossible to separate.

What Memphis has been going through in the last period reminds of a scene from La Haine, a French film that won director Mathieu Kassovitz the best director award in 1995 at the Cannes Film Festival.

In the scene, the film's two main protagonists are on the roof of a building, and one of them tells the story of a man falling from a 50-story building.

The man, during the fall, to calm himself, repeats that everything is going well up to that point. However, the problem is not the fall but the landing.

The real problem for Memphis is not the incidents of the last few days but how they will be able to react to these difficulties and how they'll bounce once their fall reaches the ground.

The worst for Memphis may not be over yet. Ja Morant could receive a lengthy suspension from the NBA, but regardless of the Grizzlies star's fate, this franchise must undergo a decisive maturing process if it wants to reach the top of the NBA.

In the recent past, Memphis had become known for its working-class mentality, grit, and grind spirit. Taking inspiration from the past to improve the future of this new version of the Grizzlies might not be a bad idea.

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