Ja Morant goes after Charles Barkley again over criticism

May 20, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Former NBA player and current TNT television personality Charles Barkley prior to game one of the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs between the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Ja Morant is back for another swing at the Charles Barkley piñata.

The Memphis Grizzlies star Morant took time at his media session on Friday to take aim at the Basketball Hall of Famer Barkley, who recently criticized Morant on TNT for supposedly not making his teammates better.

“Nobody can tell me what I do and don’t besides my teammates,” Morant said, per Grizzlies writer Drew Hill. “Those guys said it. An outsider who [has] never been in our locker room or played a game with us said [that] I don’t make my teammates better.

“But our guys say it all the time,” added Morant. “There ya go. Kneepads.”

The “kneepads” line is a callback to Morant’s initial (and very obscene) response to Barkley’s criticism the other day.

Barkley’s greater point was that Morant, who is still only 23, has a score-first mentality and needs to do a better job of making plays for his teammates in order to take that next step towards greatness. Morant’s assist numbers are average to below-average for a point guard (especially one that handles the ball as often as Morant does), and the Grizzlies were a stunning 20-5 last season when Morant was injured.

By the same token however, Morant can counter that he does plenty for his teammates. One particular viral moment from last season showed just how much the former No. 2 overall pick is beloved as a leader in Memphis.