Grizzlies’ Taj Gibson defends Ja Morant with Derrick Rose comparison

The Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant was once viewed by many as the next face of the NBA. However, after a series of controversies and injuries and some disappointing seasons for Memphis overall, he has been subject of minimal trade interest despite the 26-year-old’s abundance of talent.

Now, his teammate Taj Gibson has come out in Morant’s defence, comparing the 26-year-old to none other than Derrick Rose.

“Yeah, I love everything about him. People don’t understand, when you play against him and you’re really on the court you see how he commands his team, how they embrace each other, how they love to play hard. Being a point guard, you’ve got to be a leader. Being a point guard you’ve got to play tough. And your teammates are fueled off that,” Gibson said during his appearance on All the Smoke podcast.

“The main thing I see between him and Derrick is the athleticism, but also the willingness to try to be great. Some players they talk about being great, and doing what they got to do, but that young man is special,” he concluded.

While there may be a lot of similarity between Morant and prime Derrick Rose when it comes to skill and athleticism, Rose was known to be the model professional throughout his career. Rose overcame a series of injuries to continue his NBA career, showing an elite mentality throughout to transition to a rotational contributor.

Furthermore, Rose also had a squeaky clean career compared to Morant, who has already been embroiled in a plethora of controversies. In March 2023, Morant had appeared on Instagram Live while at a Denver-area nightclub and briefly displayed a handgun on camera.

Just weeks later, another video surfaced on May 14, 2023 showing Morant again holding a firearm during an Instagram Live broadcast inside a vehicle. Commissioner Adam Silver ultimately imposed a 25-game suspension to begin the 2023–24 season.

That, coupled with other controversies and injuries, has undoubtedly played a part in Morant’s stock dropping in value, with the Grizzlies understood to be open to trade offers for the two-time All-Star.

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