There’s a narrative out there that the Grizz have fared well with Ja out of the lineup, but context matters and the 25 game suspension he faces to begin next season is definitely enough to derail their season.
Last year, you had Ja playing in 61 games while he missed time during his mini-suspension as well as some missed games while he was dinged up. Even if he has learned his lesson and has no more behavior problems, he’s already slated to miss 25 games at the beginning of the season which means he’s playing in 57 games at the absolute max. There will also be missed time here and there due to being dinged up, which probably makes it unlikely that he see’s even 50 games.
Add to that the fact that after the suspension, Ja is going to be nowhere near game shape and will probably have to be brought along slowly, along with the reality that the chemistry with his teammates will also be a work in progress once he returns and I just don’t see how Memphis isn’t in danger of missing the playoffs.
Sure, there’s other good players on that roster but Ja is far and away the best and most important player on that roster. There’s a very real scenario in which he is only available for 40-45 games this year and I just don’t see how that doesn’t effect Memphis in a major way.
