Some comebacks are quiet. Others start with a smirk, a mic, and five words that say it all: “I’m already in the lab.“ Ja Morant didn’t need to launch a documentary, drop a cryptic tweet, or stage a tunnel walk to make his offseason intentions clear. He sat courtside in Las Vegas and gave fans exactly what they’d been waiting for: a sign that he’s back.

No limp. No hesitation. Just confidence. Oh, and a reminder that the next chapter is already being written. The update came as part of a Summer League sideline chat, where Ja dropped a few bombshells with the casualness of a left-handed tomahawk dunk. Physically?

“I feel good, ready to go.” Mentally? That’s where the grin came in. Because Morant knows what’s ahead isn’t just a bounce-back year. It’s a reinvention tour. And Memphis? It’s changed. No more Desmond Bane. A new head coach. New guards. Rookies. Expectations that range from “prove you can win” to “prove you belong.” But if Morant is fazed, he’s not showing it. “It’s exciting, a new challenge for us,” he said, acknowledging the mix of old and new on the roster. And about that fresh wave of talent?

Ja Morant’s already clocking the minutes. “Just to be themselves, just be leaders,” he said of guys like Cam Spencer, Gigi Jackson, and Jalen Noel. The way he sees it, this Summer League isn’t just for reps—it’s for reps with purpose. Game-speed. Actual roles. Actual minutes. And Morant’s message to the youngins is pretty clear, too.

Get comfortable being uncomfortable, because the Memphis Grizzlies are going to need every ounce of what they can give. With that hip injury now in the rearview and a franchise entering a new era, Ja is returning to lead. If this version of the Grizzlies is going to hang in the hyper-stacked Western Conference, they’ll need more than highlight reels.

Ja Morant sets the tone for what comes next

They’ll need Ja 3.0: the vocal leader, the strategist, the tone-setter. That’s not to say he isn’t still the engine. His last season? 23.2 points, 7.4 assists, 4.7 rebounds per game. An All-NBA guard who can shift a playoff series on his own. But as he enters his seventh NBA season, Morant knows that numbers alone won’t carry Memphis deep into the postseason.

“We all gotta come together and just get the job done,” he said. That means blending experience with youth, speed with patience, and individual brilliance with collective grit. No more waiting for someone else to be the vet. Ja’s the guy now. The one who shows up to Summer League not for the selfies, but for the scouting. That kind of awareness?

It’s a far cry from the off-court noise that clouded his last two seasons. This time, it’s all basketball. Even as the Western Conference gets deeper—hello, Thunder, Wolves, and now Magic (with Desmond Bane!)—Ja’s thinking bigger. A playoff push. A narrative reset. Maybe even a shot at redemption.

And if his words are any indication, he’s not just preparing for 82 games. He’s eyeing the ones after. So what’s next? The Grizzlies return with a new face on the sideline, new voices in the locker room, and the same old hunger. And at the center of it all, a recharged Ja Morant. In the lab. In shape. And very much back on the job.

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