After a difficult loss Friday night to a Western Conference rival in which he did not play well and logged just under 31 minutes, Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant expressed his frustration while seeming to indicate a disagreement with Grizzlies coaches.
The Grizzlies lost to the Los Angeles Lakers 117-112 in Memphis behind Luka Dončić’s 44 points. Morant scored eight points on 3-of-14 shooting while dishing out seven assists.
Morant was asked afterward: “What went wrong for you today?”
“Go ask the coaching staff,” Morant answered.
When he was then asked if there was anything he could have done differently, Morant responded, “Go ask him.”
By “him,” Morant appeared to be referring to Tuomas Iisalo, who is in his first full season as the Grizzlies’ coach. Iisalo served as the Grizzlies’ interim head coach at the end of last season, after team officials fired Taylor Jenkins in late March.
Morant was asked whether he had his usual energy during the game. His response was “Go ask the coaching staff why.”
Morant played 30 minutes, 58 seconds on Friday. Although he has appeared in all six of Memphis’ games this season, he has not played more than 31 minutes, 33 seconds in any game yet this season. He missed 32 games last season because of injuries or illness.
Morant, 26, is one of the NBA’s fastest point guards, and is known for his ability to drive to the basket. On Friday, however, he attempted only one shot in the restricted area, a cutting layup that he made with 7:21 remaining in the first quarter.
Morant’s postgame interview did not last long. According to the Memphis Commercial Appeal, he was asked whether he had any other observations about the loss to the Lakers.
“According to them, probably don’t play me, honestly,” Morant said, seemingly referring to the Grizzlies’ coaches. “That’s basically what the message was after.”
When asked if he has any injury or is sick, Morant responded that he is “fine.”
According to a reporter from The Daily Memphian, Iisalo’s postgame news conference took place at the same time as Morant’s postgame question-and-answer session. Because the two sessions occurred concurrently, reporters did not have the opportunity to follow up with Iisalo to ask him about Morant’s comments.
Morant’s media availability in the locker room coincided with head coach Tuomas Iisalo’s press availability, which happened before an empty room, without media there to ask about what Morant had said.
— Chris Herrington (@ChrisHerrington) November 1, 2025
The Lakers-Grizzlies game was broadcast nationally on Prime Video. After the game ended, studio commentator Blake Griffin spoke about Morant’s seemingly disengaged performance.
Speaking over a clip of Morant standing in the corner on defense, Griffin said, “For a guy that’s making $40 million and needs to be the leader of the team, I just don’t love it. I don’t know if he was not feeling well, if he’s hurt. But that, to me, is a very bad sign and is something that … has to change.”