Memphis Grizzlies: Predicting how long Ja Morant’s next suspension might be

There’s an assumption that Ja Morant will be handed a second suspension. We try to make a fair prediction of how long that may be.

It could be a while until we see Ja Morant playing for the Memphis Grizzlies again. After serving an eight-game suspension back in March after he flashed a gun on social media, Morant is expected to serve another suspension as he was seen a second time flashing a gun on social media in May.

On a segment on ESPN’s First Take, Brian Windhorst said that there’s an indication that Morant could be in for a big suspension. Adam Silver’s statement on Morant before the start of the NBA Finals pretty much echoed that.

The big question surrounding this whole situation is, how long could the Morant suspension be? If Windy is right, and there’s really no reason why he should be questioned, what is the definition of a “big” suspension by the NBA?

In an attempt to try to predict how long Adam Silver will end up suspending Morant, it’s only fair to look at the bigger suspension given out in the NBA recently.

Here is the list of “big” suspensions, lasting more than 10 games, that have been given out recently:

• Dion Waiters, panic attack from THC-infused edibles (10 games) – 2019
• Malik Beasley, arrest on possession of marijuana and concealing stolen property (12 games) – 2021
• John Collins, Deandre Ayton, others, testing positive for a banned substance (25 games) – 2019
• Miles Bridges, felony domestic violence charge (30 games) – 2023

The difficult part of all this is the fact that Silver likely has more information than the public has, or at least that’s how he made it seem in his statement. If that is indeed the case, I think it’s safe to say that we could see a suspension as big as 20-30 games, perhaps bigger.

The list of players that have been suspended that long in the NBA is short, but I believe there’s a very real chance Morant could be added to it.

This is all a very unfortunate situation. Off-the-court narratives aside, Morant is not only one of the best young players in the league, but he’s one of the best players in the league period. The last few months or so have been a completely avoidable blip in what has been an otherwise great start to his career.

It’s pretty evident that Morant is going to be given another suspension pretty soon. No matter how long it is, here’s to hoping that he gets the help he needs and gets his career back on track.