Ja Morant Volunteers To Come Off The Bench Following Suspension, Dillon Brooks Shuts Down The Idea

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Ja Morant's suspension officially ended on Monday allowing the superstar point guard to re-join the Memphis Grizzlies and watch his team come from behind to knock off the Dallas Mavericks.

Prior to the game on Monday night and receiving a standing ovation from the home crowd inside FedEx Forum, Morant not only apologized to his teammates about the gun incident but made a selfless suggestion as well.

According to Dillon Brooks, Morant volunteered to come off the bench to work his way back into the lineup.

Despite Memphis being 6-3 during its recent stretch without Morant, Brooks quickly shut down the idea as he labeled the point guard "the engine of this team."

"I said, hell no,'" Brooks explained. "'You're too good of a player. You're the engine of this team. We need you out there getting reps. And getting acclimated to who you are as that third-quarter, fourth-quarter closer' who is yelling and screaming at everybody. Who is dunking on everybody, making amazing plays, getting guys the ball being the leader he is.

"He's got nothing to prove to us."

"You're going to see a different Ja out there, who is going to be consistent every night. And is going to give us that energy that we need to be that top team in the West," Brooks continued.

NBA Insider Guesses Ja Morant Doesn't Play Again This Season

Ja Morant is expected to return to the Grizzlies' lineup this week. (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)

READ: JA MORANT NEEDS TO DROP THE TOUGH GUY ACT, FOR HIMSELF AND FOR THE CITY OF MEMPHIS: MARK HARRIS

Ja Morant Will Lead The Grizzlies Playoff Run

All signs point to Morant making his return to the floor on Wednesday night against the Houston Rockets in Memphis.

While he'll still face certain criticism from some NBA fans and media members alike, Brooks isn't wrong in relaying the message that the Grizzlies go as Ja Morant goes.

Morant is the fuel that feeds the engine in Memphis. A rested and clear-headed Morant could be a scary sight for the rest of the league with the postseason fast approaching.

Follow Mark Harris on Twitter @ItIsMarkHarris

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and all other happenings in the world of golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.