Carmelo Anthony Reveals His Thoughts on Controversial NBA Star

The relationship between the Memphis Grizzlies and Ja Morant may be starting to fray. After Morant butted heads with the coaching staff, he was suspended for one game. That’s when the trade rumors started to fly. 

This isn’t the first behavioral issue for Morant. In fact, besides injuries, off-court issues have kept Morant off the court much more than the Grizzlies would hope. That’s why some are wondering if it’s time for Morant and the Grizzlies to finally part ways. 

Former NBA star and Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, spoke about Morant’s situation on the NBA on NBC. 

"Ja has to man up. ... You're being tested again to see if you're gonna fold or withstand the test of time. The coaches are testing you, the organization is testing you. The city, the fans is testing you. For me, how are you gonna bounce back? How are you gonna move on from this, how you gonna own up, man up, look yourself in the mirror, take ownership to your part and still go out there and do what you gotta do? ... Put your big boy pants on, let's go play basketball."

Morant came back from his suspension and hasn’t looked great. He’s averaging 17.5 points, nine assists, and five rebounds per game since returning. What is more damning is that he’s been quite inefficient. 

Since coming back from suspension, Morant is 11-for-35 on field goal attempts and only 1-of-11 from deep. 

Of course, this is a small sample size. However, Carmelo is right. If there is one time for Morant to step it up and prove that he is the star the Grizzlies want leading their team, now is the time to do it.