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Oct 03, 2023

Jaren Jackson says Ja Morant is 'great' as NBA suspension looms

Morant 's friend and teammate went on Paul George 's podcast Ja Morant 's NBA

Morant's friend and teammate went on Paul George's podcast

Ja Morant's NBA future is up in the air, with commissioner Adam Silver poised to reveal the Memphis Grizzlies point guard's punishment for flashing a gun in an Instagram Live video. The NBA will likely announce Morant's suspension after the NBA Finals, and expectations are that it will be a lengthy one.

On Monday, another of Memphis' stars appeared on "Podcast P" to offer an update on Morant as he awaits the league's judgment.

Jaren Jackson, Jr. was drafted the year before the Grizzlies selected Morant with the second overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Jackson, the NBA's newly-minted Defensive Player of the Year, told podcast host Paul George that Morant is "good."

"Dude's great. People always (have to) understand that everybody's human," Jackson said. "That's my brother though, no matter what. I stand my brother, and I think that's the lesson everybody should take away from this."

Morant's behavioral problems have dominated headlines in recent months and the NBA has already suspended the Murray State product once. But Jackson believes that whenever Morant returns from his pending second suspension, the former Rookie of the Year will pick up where he left off.

"He works hard, he's smart as hell. ... The dude is high-level," he said.

Perhaps Jackson's belief that Morant will return to play NBA basketball at a high level during the 2023/24 season is fueling his belief that Memphis is set for a deep playoff run next year.

The Grizzlies were the #2 seed in the Western Conference this year, with Morant healthy and available for the playoffs. But neither Jackson nor Morant could power Memphis into the second round for a second consecutive year, as LeBron James and the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers won the series in six games.