Marcus Smart’s sage advice for Ja Morant following gun fiasco: "Don’t feel like nobody gets what you’re going through"

After being traded from the Boston Celtics to the Memphis Grizzlies, Marcus Smart now finds himself as the vocal leader on a young team. In his new situation, the veteran point guard will be tasked with helping a rising star complete the jump to superstardom.

At the end of the last season, Ja Morant was handed a 25-game suspension from the NBA. This was due to his social media activity, where he was seen holding a firearm during livestream on multiple occasions.

While sitting down with Sportskeeda's Mark Medina, Marcus Smart touched on being a mentor for Morant. He has no intentions on babysitting him, but instead is looking to be one of his biggest supporters.

“‘Don’t feel like you let anybody down and that no one wants to be around you or that nobody understands you or that nobody gets what you’re going through,’” Marcus Smart recalled telling Morant. “We get it. We just want you to know that we’re here for you and we’re going to continue to go out here and work until you get back. Then when you get back, we’ll be on a run.’”

Ja Morant is still in the midst of serving his suspenison, and is on pace to make his season debut just before Christmas.

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Marcus Smart applauds work Ja Morant is putting in

Even though Ja Morant can't be on the court, he is still able to practice and travel with the Memphis Grizzlies. He's taken this opportunity to continue to show the franchise he is capable of being a leader for this team.

When asked if he's got to do anything with Morant yet, Marcus Smart touched on how active he's been behind the scenes. The All-Star guard is helping the new additions get acclimated, which is helping build a stronger chemistry.

“He’s always around. He’s doing everything that he can that he’s able to do. He’s accessible. With his circumstances, he’s here. He’s constantly talking. He’s making sure he’s around the guys. He’s asking questions and he’s learning. He’s also teaching everybody else," Marucs Smart said. "There are a lot of new guys here that don’t understand how things work here in the organization. Being able to have somebody like Ja that has been here and understands it, he has helped us out a little bit. He’s been great with building that relationship.”

Based on these actions, Morant appears ready to hit the ground running when he's done serving his suspension. The Grizzlies are despertaley going to need this, as things aren't going well without him.

Due to the absence of their star player, Memphis is not off to the start they may have hoped. They currently sit in last place of the Western Conference with a record of 2-9. If the Grizzlies want any shot at turning things around and reaching the postseason, the need Morant to come out of the gates scorching hot.