{"id":539812,"date":"2026-01-16T03:44:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T03:44:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/539812\/"},"modified":"2026-01-16T03:44:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T03:44:20","slug":"why-ja-morant-is-still-family-to-jaren-jackson-jr-s-grizzlies-despite-berlin-drama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/539812\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Ja Morant is still \u2018family\u2019 to Jaren Jackson Jr.\u2019s Grizzlies despite Berlin drama"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why Ja Morant is still \u2018family\u2019 to Jaren Jackson Jr.\u2019s Grizzlies despite Berlin drama<\/a> appeared first on ClutchPoints<\/a>. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The optics have been complicated, the noise unavoidable, and the questions persistent. Ja Morant<\/a>\u2019s fence-mending has not been on the floor, the Memphis Grizzlies<\/a> have slipped into the Western Conference\u2019s play-in tier, and a season that once carried top-six expectations now requires nightly grit just to stay afloat. Still, Jaren Jackson Jr. does not believe the family bonds have been fractured.<\/p>\n

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If anything, it has been reinforced loudly, demonstratively, and unapologetically from the bench in Berlin. Morant was seen dancing after several Jackson Jr. highlights, which is exactly what the locker room expects.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201c(Morant) is like that all the time, really,\u201d Jackson Jr. explained. \u201cI mean, he wants us to thrive and do well. He is one of my biggest cheerleaders for sure. One of my best coaches, too, at times.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a telling characterization from the Grizzlies\u2019 franchise cornerstone. Jackson Jr., the 2023 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, could easily distance himself from Morant\u2019s off-court issues or minimize his absent teammate\u2019s influence. Instead, he\u2019s doubled down on their bond.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s dope,\u201d Iisalo added. \u201cIt\u2019s dope because you always have to look at the bench when you do something. (Celebrating) is a family activity. It\u2019s family.\u201d<\/p>\n

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That mentality has helped sustain a roster that could have splintered under disappointment.<\/p>\n

\"Petre<\/p>\n

Petre Thomas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Instead, the Grizzlies have leaned into internal accountability<\/a>, a point Tuomas Iisalo<\/a> emphasized when discussing Jackson Jr.\u2019s approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt says a lot about Jaren and his ability to focus on the essentials,\u201d Iisalo stated. \u201cIt also says a lot about the whole team\u2019s character\u2026Guys could quit, but they don\u2019t. They just try to find a way to win\u2026and control what we can control. We have a really good working atmosphere within the team. We don\u2019t really pay attention to what is being said on the outside. We just do our job.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jackson Jr. and Iisalo\u2019s comments suggest the organization\u2019s answer starts with unity. By maintaining their working atmosphere and refusing to internalize outside noise, the Grizzlies are betting that their foundation remains solid despite the cracks showing in their record.<\/p>\n

For better or worse, the organization has chosen loyalty and accountability over distance and apathy. Time will reveal whether that commitment pays dividends or prolongs dysfunction. But for now, at least, Ja Morant remains family.<\/p>\n

Related: NBA rumors: Raptors could be intriguing Jaren Jackson Jr. trade destination in offseason<\/a><\/p>\n

Related: NBA rumors: What would a Ja Morant trade to the Heat could look like?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Why Ja Morant is still \u2018family\u2019 to Jaren Jackson Jr.\u2019s Grizzlies despite Berlin drama appeared first on ClutchPoints.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":539813,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3795],"tags":[7,294,178,14697,6684,293,177,4070,6,181],"class_list":["post-539812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-memphis-grizzlies","tag-basketball","tag-grizzlies","tag-ja-morant","tag-jackson-jr","tag-jaren-jackson","tag-memphis","tag-memphis-grizzlies","tag-memphisgrizzlies","tag-nba","tag-the-grizzlies"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115902721529095551","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=539812"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539812\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/539813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=539812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=539812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=539812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}