The vibes are not exactly great right now in Memphis.
The Memphis Grizzlies lost in NBA Cup game action on Friday night to the Los Angeles Lakers by a final score of 117-112. Playing in front of their home crowd at FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tenn., the Grizzlies blew a 15-point lead to the Lakers and fell to 3-3 on the young season.
A particularly concerning photo of Memphis star guard Ja Morant went viral from the contest. The photo showed a timeout huddle in the fourth quarter during which Morant appeared to be completely checked out and standing off to the side away from his teammates.
Take a look (with Morant visible on the far right).
Ja Morant during a Grizzlies timeout
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) November 1, 2025
(Via @ohkmarr) pic.twitter.com/3S20yEe3F9
Morant also expressed frustration with the gameplan afterwards, telling reporters to “ask the coaching staff” for what went wrong against the Lakers.
Ja Morant when asked questions from the media:
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 1, 2025
“Go ask the coaching staff.”
And then asked what could have been done differently, other than asking the coaching staff:
“According to them, probably don’t play me.”
(@50NuancesDeNBA)
pic.twitter.com/BNOIxhl0xa
The two-time All-Star Morant had a lousy game overall on Friday, finishing with eight points on a woeful 3/14 shooting (including 0/6 from three). He is now down to 20.8 points per game on the season, which would be his lowest mark since the 2020-21 NBA season.
Morant is still under contract through 2028, but there have been rumors for several months now about the 26-year-old star supposedly being unhappy with the Grizzlies. Those rumors may only grow louder if Memphis, with just one total playoff series victory to date in the Morant era, continues to stagnate.
