One man’s mistake is another man’s opportunity. This is one of the uncredited quotes from the internet. And, surprisingly, it seemed to fit Ja Morant’s current situation. The Memphis Grizzlies star has had a hard time since the 2023 off-season. Importantly, he paid the price for his own actions. However, the 25-year-old star has a chance to redeem himself. At least that’s what former NBA star Gilbert Arenas feels. Moreover, he also added that Ja could redeem himself at the cost of Jayson Tatum‘s Olympic misery.

Despite Team USA’s dominant run to gold glory, a lot of eyes were on the Boston Celtics forward. While it was mostly on JT’s reduced minutes on the court, some criticized his performances. In short, it wasn’t truly a campaign that Tatum would’ve wished for himself. Nevertheless, this was enough for Gilbert Arenas to come up with an argument.

In the latest episode of Gil’s Arena, the crew addressed the marketability of an American-bred star. Rashad McCants took JT out of the equation and rooted for Ja Morant. Immediately, the 3x All-Star, Gilbert Arenas, sprung out of the chair and said, “Now with what happened to Tatum, Ja has a chance for the crown again.” The former star further added, “He was in position to be (at the crown)” Moreover, he added that it was the “old media” that hated Ja Morant and stressed that the current generation didn’t hate the Grizzlies star.

Before we go any further, it’s better to know what got Morant in trouble. During the 2022-23 season, the 25-year-old had plenty of accusations related to gun violence. And it came true when he was spotted with a gun outside a strip club in Denver. While he faced an 8-game suspension for the act, he again flashed a gun on IG live, which left him with a 25-game suspension, ultimately ruining the Grizzlies last season.

Can Ja Morant make use of the opportunity?

During the suspension, Morant completely stayed away from his social media and remained focused on getting back on the court. Until then, he faced harsh criticism for his actions. Notably, Stephen A. Smith once said, “Ja Morant has been associated with guns more than he’s been associated with winning.” Above all, the team paid the price for his actions. After missing 25 games in the last season, the Grizzlies barely looked like making it to the playoffs.

Morant, before making his return to the court, Ja made a promising statement. He said, “Obviously I’m not on the floor and obviously nobody likes losing, so our job is to go out there and get a win. I take full responsibility of that obviously, even though I’m not on the floor. Decisions I made didn’t allow me to be out there to go to battle with my team.” When Ja made a return after the suspension, the team had hopes. But it was immediately ruined when he sustained a season-ending injury on his shoulder after just playing 9 games.

So, the star would look to make the most of it in the upcoming season? Will he make it big this time and replace Jayson Tatum on the Team USA roster? Let us know in the comments below.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.