Ja Morant went from overlooked recruit out of high school to No. 2 pick in the 2019 draft to one of the most promising young players in the entire NBA.

"It's just my edge. The chip I have on my shoulder from what I had to go through to get to the NBA," said Morant.

"My dad always told me that I was trained to go, basically that I'm built for the moment. And my mom always told me I'm beneath no one."

Morant has been highly productive for a rookie point guard and he has also had some of his best moments in crunch time.

"He doesn't shy away from those moments," Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said of Morant. "He's here to be great."

Elfrid Payton, Marko Guduric and Jaren Jackson Jr. have each been suspended one game without pay and Marcus Morris Sr. and Jae Crowder have each been fined for their roles in an on-court incident.

The incident, which began when Payton shoved Crowder to the floor, occurred with 48.1 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of the Grizzlies’ 127-106 win over the Knicks on Jan. 29 at Madison Square Garden.

Payton, who was assessed a Flagrant Foul 2 and ejected from the game, has been suspended one game without pay for shoving Crowder to the floor while Crowder was in mid-air, for escalating the altercation, and for inappropriate post-game comments. Crowder, who was given a technical foul and ejected from the game, has been fined $25,000 for escalating the on-court altercation by, among other things, shoving Payton. Morris, who received a technical foul and was ejected from the game, has been fined $35,000 for escalating an on-court altercation by shoving Morant and for offensive and derogatory comments made to the media following the game. Guduric and Jackson have each been suspended one game without pay for leaving the bench area during an on-court altercation.

Guduric and Jackson will serve their suspensions Friday when the Grizzlies play the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. Payton will serve his suspension Saturday when the Knicks visit the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Elfrid Payton, Marcus Morris, and Jae Crowder were all ejected with 48 seconds left in the Memphis Grizzlies' 127-106 win over the New York Knicks.

Crowder attempted a 3-point shot with the Grizzlies up 124-106 in the game. Payton showed Crowder to the ground, resulting in both benches clearing.

Payton said he had no regrets over his actions.

"That shot was disrespectful. I'm standing on that. I'd a did it again. Doesn't matter who took that shot. Don't disrespect the game like that," said Payton.

Morris called out Crowder for being unprofessional following the game.

"He plays the game a different way. He's got a lot of female tendencies on the court, flopping and throwing his head back the entire game. It's a man's game and you just get tired of it. When you step back and shoot a 3 ... and like rub it in ... he's unprofessional. He's soft. His game is soft. He's very womanlike," said Morris.

Morris tweeted an apology for using the term "female tendencies."

Crowder was unavailable for comment after the game. 

The Memphis Grizzlies have continued to posture that they expect to receive a first round pick or Andre Iguodala before the trade deadline.

Some league executives suspect the Grizzlies have a fallback option from the Dallas Mavericks in the form of Courtney Lee and a 2020 second round pick from the Golden State Warriors.

Sources with the Mavericks have tried to refute that theory.

The Memphis Grizzlies have recalled Josh Jackson from the Memphis Hustle of the G League.

Jackson has averaged 20.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists in 26 games this season for the Hustle.

Jackson was traded by the Phoenix Suns to the Grizzlies this past offseason following a number of off-court issues.

Ja Morant has decided not to participate in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

Morant is prioritizing his health for the remainder of the season. Morant crashed into a baseline camera operator in November and injured his back.

Morant hasn't ruled out participating in the future. 

Zion Williamson entered the NBA as one of the most highly rated prospects in years, but injury concerns have made some observers more cautious when predicting his career.

At least one general manager anonymously said he would have taken Ja Morant over Williamson even back in June, which is an opinion that feels more valid now with Morant having a strong start to his career.

“I wouldn’t have taken him No. 1 even back then,” a Western Conference general manager said. “I would’ve taken Ja [Morant] or traded back to pick up as many picks as I could.”

“I’d definitely still take him first, wouldn’t you?” an Eastern Conference executive responded.

“Yeah, when you consider everything he brings, I’m still picking him first,” another Eastern Conference general manager said

The Memphis Grizzlies continue to believe they will trade Andre Iguodala by the trade deadline.

"The word on the street is that they really do believe that they're going to find a trade for Iguodala," said Brian Windhorst.

"They're adamant about that," said Tim MacMahon.

"Well, they've been adamant about it for months, but now that we're in the zone where they're actually having real talks.. Again, what I feel in talking to people out there is that they do think that's going to happen."

"Where, Brian?" asked Jackie MacMullan.

"I think Dallas is an option. I don't want to get too far over my skies on it. I know they denied it. I'm hearing different."

Windhorst added he's heard the Grizzlies have had some traction with teams in the Eastern Conference.

Ja Morant is considering accepting an invitation to participate in the 2020 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

“It’s something I’m thinking about,” Morant told Yahoo Sports. “I haven’t made a decision yet.”

Morant has been cautious in his recovery from back spasms.

Morant was the No. 2 selection in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Murray State.

Kendrick Nunn and Ja Morant have been named the NBA's Rookies of the Month.

Nunn averaged 15.5 points, 3.9 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game for the Miami Heat.

Morant averaged 15.5 points and 6.5 assists on 48.5 percent shooting from the field.