A Fresh Start? Has 27-Year-Old Ja Morant Finally Turned Things Around?

The familiar Ja Morant might be coming back.

Recently, Morant and his team stated that during this offseason, Morant has undergone the most demanding training program of his career. He started with several consecutive weeks of two-a-day workouts, pushing both his body and mentality to a new level.

According to reports, Morant has not taken a single day off. He rides a bicycle back and forth for every training session, does not take shortcuts, and immerses himself in the weight room, on the court, and in rehabilitation work. He has never enjoyed this kind of challenge or committed himself this much before.

Because the information comes from Morant's own team, its accuracy cannot be fully confirmed. But if Morant is truly as committed to training as reported, he will be worth watching next season.

First, Morant's current situation is quite unfavorable.

During this offseason, Morant went through a trade. The details are as follows:

—The Trail Blazers acquired Morant. —The Grizzlies received Grant and Chris Murray.

Notably, the trade did not involve any draft picks. In other words, a two-time All-Star in his prime did not even bring back a second-round pick.

Even so, the outside world did not believe Portland had won the deal and was even pessimistic about it—ESPN graded the trade for Portland as B-, Yahoo Sports gave it a C, and CBS Sports gave it a D+.

It is not difficult to understand why Morant is not highly regarded.

We remember that Morant reached his career peak in the 2021-22 season. In his third year, he averaged 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists, won Most Improved Player, made the All-Star team and the All-NBA Second Team, and led the team to a 56-26 record and a second-round playoff appearance.

After that season, Morant delivered a famous confident quote: "I'm fine in the west."

However, everyone knows what happened afterward. The Grizzlies' peak did not last long. They suffered a first-round upset loss to the Lakers in the 2023 playoffs, missed the playoffs in 2024, exited in the first round again in 2025, and completely broke apart in 2026.

During this period, Morant went through many changes, including:

—In the 2022-23 season, he was involved in the first firearm-related incident and was suspended for eight games, playing 61 games that season.

—In the 2023-24 season, he was involved in a second firearm-related incident and was suspended for 25 games. He also missed the rest of the season due to a torn labrum in his right shoulder, appearing in only nine games.

—In the 2024-25 season, Morant suffered multiple injuries, including a right hip injury, right shoulder injury, left knee bruise, and hamstring strain. He played only 50 games and appeared in just three playoff games because of injury.

Then last season, Morant suffered another injury setback, going from an ankle issue to a right calf strain and then a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow that ended his season. He played only 20 games, averaging 19.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 8.1 assists, with shooting splits of 41.0%/23.5%/89.7% and a 52.1% true shooting percentage.

The good news is that in the eight games before his season-ending injury, Morant once again showed All-Star-level form. Playing fewer than 28 minutes per game, he averaged 21.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 8.8 assists, with shooting splits of 48.8%/40.0%/83.3% and a 58.7% true shooting percentage.

However, those eight games did not change much.

Morant's rebellious and difficult-to-manage image over the past few years has become widely established. Combined with frequent injuries, a lack of progress in shooting, and a remaining contract worth more than $85 million over two years, his value has dropped significantly and expectations around him have declined.

It is worth noting that although the Trail Blazers took a chance on Morant, the trade was somewhat forced because Portland does not lack guards. Even without the injured Sharpe, the backcourt still includes Lillard, Holiday, and Henderson, while team star Avdija also needs the ball in his hands.

Therefore, Morant's sudden dedication to training has its reasons.

He is no longer the favored player he was in Memphis, where many fans continued to support him despite mistakes. In Portland, if he performs poorly, he may even have to accept a bench role, which is clearly something Morant would not welcome.

An even more important reason may be that Morant will become eligible for an extension next offseason. Even considering his future contract situation, next season should be a chance to see Morant reset and return to the right path.

In my personal view, considering his age, a healthy Morant may be a more exciting Trail Blazers guard to look forward to than Lillard or Holiday, provided he truly puts his focus back on basketball.

He remains one of the most entertaining and explosive guards in the league, and he is only 27 years old. Hopefully, next season we can see the Morant from four years ago again.

(End of article)