Ja Morant’s standing in the NBA has never been more confusing. The Memphis Grizzlies’ star guard is still one of the most explosive talents in the league, but now his name is being mentioned in spaces whose futures are far more unsettled than the last few years have indicated. Now, one name has come to his defense.

“He hasn’t been arrested,” Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green stated on his Draymond Green Show podcast. “He hasn’t been found guilty of a crime, to my knowledge. So when people talk about his off-court problems, I want to be very clear about that.”

Green shifted the narrative down to the facts. He framed Morant’s off-court issues as “hiccups,” nothing solid or substantial to show a troubled character or life. Green pointed out that the perception doesn’t care about nuance, and in the NBA, it can quickly reshape a player’s value.

That erosion isn’t just from off-court incidents, but absences. Morant has had to deal with a growing list of injuries and suspensions, and the injuries have slowed down his lift and speed. Green added that this combination of narrative and availability has changed how Morant is viewed across the league.

However, Green didn’t stop there and put the blame squarely on the Grizzlies’ organization. He pointed to one key example with a former teammate: Andre Iguodala.

“I know when Andre Iguodala was traded there, he didn’t show up because he didn’t want to work with their training staff. You know, so I don’t know that their training staff is good or bad. I don’t know them, but I do know that.”

When Iguodala was traded to Memphis in the 2019 offseason, the move never progressed beyond paperwork. He refused to report to training camp and stayed away from the team while the two sides worked on a trade to send him away. Key point here: Draymond indicated that Iguodala didn’t work out with the Grizzlies because of their training staff.

Andre Iguodala’s Memphis Grizzlies Decision Was a Warning Sign for Ja Morant

Here’s the critical part: Andre Iguodala wasn’t a young role player protecting his role or ego, but protecting his body. As a veteran who has dealt with similar situations earlier in his career, he knows how quickly minor issues compound when recovery and preventative work aren’t enough.

When a respected player like Iguodala, who has served as the vice president of the NBPA, opts out entirely, it serves as a warning.

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For Morant, that matters more than ever, especially since his play invites contact more than the average player. His explosive playing style requires pristine conditioning and an extremely meticulous recovery process. If the organizational support lags, that margin for error disappears.

Green stopped short of blaming the staff, but was still diagnostic in nature. With a better training environment, would Morant’s play become more frequent? Would the league’s dominant narrative shift away from his fragility and return to his play?

Green made it clear that elite players don’t come around often. Once you have one on the team, you need to make sure the organization is built to sustain them. A change of scenery is what Morant might need.