
They believed it came from a gun, but the NBA could "not corroborate that any individual threatened others with a weapon." Members of Indiana's traveling party claimed that a red laser was shined on them from an SUV carrying Morant. 29 after a game against the Indiana Pacers. In February, the NBA confirmed that it had investigated a situation that took place in Memphis on Jan.No arrests were made as a result of this incident. A mall security guard said that he was threatened by Morant and a number of his associates after his mother reportedly got into an argument with an employee at a store.The teenager alleged that Morant had a gun tucked into his pants. Morant claimed he was acting in self-defense. Allegedly punching a teenager "12 or 13 times" according to a Washington Post report.Morant has been involved in a number of off-court controversies in the past year or so, including: Ja has also made it clear to me that he has learned from this incident and that he understands his obligations and responsibility to the Memphis Grizzlies and the broader NBA community extend well beyond his play on the court." He has expressed sincere contrition and remorse for his behavior. "It also has serious consequences given his enormous following and influence, particularly among young fans who look up to him. "Ja's conduct was irresponsible, reckless, and potentially very dangerous," Silver said in the statement. Morant met with NBA commissioner Adam Silver on March 15. During that time, he spent multiple days at a counseling center in Florida. The suspension included the five games that he missed while away from the team. The suspension stems from an Instagram Live video Morant posted in which he had a gun at a Denver-area nightclub following a game against the Nuggets on March 3.

Morant was officially suspended eight games without pay for conduct detrimental to the league, the NBA announced on March 15. "Everyone welcomed him with open arms, excited to have him back. Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins told reporters before the team's game on Monday against the Dallas Mavericks that Morant has been scrimmaging and also addressed the team. Morant is now eligible to return to play after his suspension, but he is going through a return-to-play conditioning program after missing so much time. Morant has shown at the age of 22 that he will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.The Memphis Grizzlies are "hopeful" that star guard Ja Morant will return to action on Wednesday night against the Houston Rockets. Although this jump may have been somewhat predictable for the young star, it doesn’t make it any less impressive. He has increased in practically every statistic, won more games, and became an All-Star. No matter what you believe, Morant has had an impressive season. Morant being the second overall pick makes people wonder if this improvement was an impressive jump or expected growth from an up-and-coming star. Besides Morant, Ingram and Oladipo are the only other players in the last 10 years to win Most Improved Player after being drafted in the top 5. This award is usually given to players who don’t come in as top prospects but evolve into quality players. Lastly, Morant isn’t the typical prototype player that usually wins this award. This year Morant won 36 of his 57 games to finish as the 2nd seed.

They finished last year as the 8th seed after winning in their play-in games to advance to the playoffs. Last year Morant played 63 games in which he won 33. Not only did Morant have the stats on his side, but he also had the team success. This earned him the honor of being an All-Star starter this year, after not making it at all last year. He also saw an increase in all shooting splits. Although his assists were higher last year at 7.5, he attempted fewer shots per game. This is much better than his 19 points and 4 rebounds of last year. This year he averaged an impressive 27 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Ja Morant saw a large increase in his statistical stats from last year to this year. Is Ja Morant the Most Improved Player? Why Morant Won It Here’s why Morant won it, and why it’s in question. With so many other players in competition for the award, it begs the question of if he deserved it. Morant had an amazing year both accolade-wise and statistically. Ja Morantrecently won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.
