Las Vegas, USA

With Ja Morant out for first 25 games of upcoming NBA season, his teammate and Memphis Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. said that they'd have to find ways to navigate the situation. Jackson made the comments after the last practice of Team USA before their FIAB World Cup preparatory exhibition game against Puerto Rico on Monday, August 7. 

Advertisment

"We just gotta navigate it," said Jackson. "Obviously, we know that not having Ja is a real big hole to fill, but, you know, he's not, it's not like he's not gonna be around.

"He's gonna give us all the tools to be able to get that done," he added.

Morant has been suspended by the league after a video of him brandishing a gun in a car during a live-streamed video on a social media platform in May.

Advertisment

This was the second incident after Morant was rapped by the team and NBA for going live on a Instagram feed with a firearm outside a Denver nightclub.

Also Read: NASCAR driver Noah Gragson suspended for liking George Floyd murder meme

The NBA has put out 'certain conditions' for Morant to meet in order to come back and play in the NBA. During his suspension, the Grizzlies star is ineligible to be a part of "any public league or team activities, including preseason games."

Advertisment

Nonetheless, Morant's absence will be a talking point in October when the training camp starts and before that Jackson is fully focused on the Team USA camp. The Memphis star said that he is pleased with how the training camp wrapped up.

"Really good," Jackson said. "We're getting to know each other. Haven't played with each other ever. So getting to know different people. Everybody knows the game really well. Smart point guards, smart players, good coaches. It's been good. We've been playing really well together. A lot of good energy, good talking, the coaches loved it. So we're ready to go."

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.