Grizzlies tried to guide Morant before his latest incident

Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins has repeatedly stated that the team's current conversations with Ja Morant are “internal discussions,” and that seems to have been the case before Morant stepped away from the team, too.

Ahead of Thursday's game against the Golden State Warriors, Jenkins clarified that the team's decision to give Morant time away was the next step after previous attempts to avoid incidents like Saturday morning, when Morant purportedly was brandishing a gun at a nightclub in Colorado in an Instagram Live from his personal account.

“We have had conversations in the past trying to guide him and help him continue to evolve as a person and as a player,” Jenkins said.

“Obviously this came to a head the other day. It put this process into action.”

The Grizzlies initially announced that Morant would be away from the team for at least two games. After the star point guard missed two games, the team made another statement that Morant would be away for at least the next four contests.

“The hope was that this would have never happened, and everything was as good as it should be, but there have been dialogues about what he's got to do better and this just came to a head then,” Jenkins said.

Memphis (38-26) is on a three-game losing streak. While Tyus Jones has filled in admirably as the starting point guard, the team is 4-7 when he starts this season.

The Grizzlies will need Morant to reach their goals, but the team has made it clear that his personal well-being is the most important issue at hand. Jenkins noted that the Grizzlies have given Morant “steps that have to be met” personally and professionally.

“Obviously the expectations on the team, he's going to have some things that he's going to have to clear to know what the expectations are when he does returns,” Jenkins said.