Ja Morant got suspended and broke his silence on ESPN. Here's what we learned | Giannotto

Ja Morant spoke to NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Wednesday in New York, and then the embattled Memphis Grizzlies star spoke with ESPN's Jalen Rose for his first interview in two weeks.

For the first time since Morant foolishly flashed that gun from a Denver area strip club on Instagram Live, since leaving the Grizzlies to get his life in order, there was finally some clarity on the mess Morant created for himself.

What did he learn from this temporary exile? What did we learn from his initial comments about this situation? Here are some takeaways:

Ja Morant's tone was better than before

Remember how defiant Morant was before? How he seemed convinced he and his friends were being unfairly targeted? It was gone from his voice. Mostly, at least.

There were still some residuals of that in his answers about the various reported incidents that never resulted in any criminal charges.

"All the incidents you've seen recently, most of them is a lie," he told ESPN. "I can't speak too much on those situations because all of 'em are sealed. I really can't wait to be able to finally tell the truth. But what I can say is, like I said before, none of those are my character. I'm a big family guy. I always care for my family. So it was just me checking on my family's safety. Once my family is safe, I left the scene."

Perhaps there's a form of vindication to be had, but it might be counterproductive to the greater mission here. The damage has been done, and it's time for Morant to move forward. So it was refreshing that he repeatedly sounded contrite and aware of the work ahead to repair his reputation.

"I take full responsibility from my actions. I made a bad mistake," he said. "I can see the image that I painted over myself with my recent mistakes. But in the future, I'm going to show everybody who Ja really is, what I'm about and change this narrative that everybody got."

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The Grizzlies and Morant were really waiting on the NBA

Perhaps never before has the announcement of an eight-game suspension without pay for conduct detrimental to the league elicited as much hope as the one the Morant officially received from the NBA. This actually triggered a timetable for Morant's return to the court. He'll be allowed back with the team Monday, with his first game likely to be later next week.

"We understand what's happened through the investigation, now all we're focused on is that we now know the plan," coach Taylor Jenkins said before the Grizzlies' loss at Miami on Wednesday, and it certainly sounded different than the open-ended, vague answers he had been forced to deliver previously.

As much as the Grizzlies wanted to see Morant address his issues, it's clear now everyone involved also had to see what the NBA did.

While Silver declared Morant's behavior "irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous," the league's investigation concluded the gun in Morant's video did not belong to him, was not brought to the club by him, and was not possessed by him on the team plane or in an NBA facility.

The punishment seems fair given the circumstances. It's especially important the NBA doled it out, and not the Grizzlies. There is always a delicate dance between a franchise and its star given the dynamics of NBA free agency and trade demands, and Memphis shouldn't have been put in the position to suspend Morant when it could have potentially caused unnecessary friction. Morant nonetheless needed some form of accountability. Silver had to be the one to do the heavy lifting.

This crisis perhaps could been avoided, but it has been handled well by both the NBA and the Grizzlies once the crisis became clear.

Morant must prove he wasn't just saying what we want to hear

Everybody in Memphis wants to believe Morant. Everybody in Memphis is rooting that he learned his lesson, that his separation from basketball provided the necessary perspective to avoid something like this ever happening again.

But the timing of Tuesday's interview, right after his suspension was announced and right after the leak that he had been receiving counseling in Florida, with a former NBA player in Rose who just went viral by comparing Morant to his younger self, was a calculated move intended to begin Morant's image rehabilitation process.

Whether it was also a genuine expression of remorse won't be certain until we see Morant put his words into action upon returning to the Grizzlies.

Morant said many of the things he needed to say. He talked of finding new ways to deal with stress and anxiety and "become a better Ja." He also seemed more aware of how the people around him must also change.

"I feel like in the past we didn't know what was at stake. And now finally me having that time to realize everything, have that time alone, I realize that now," Morant said. "I realize what I have to lose, and for us as a group, what we have to lose."

It all sounds good. Now, let's see if that mindset sticks.

This should reinvigorate the Grizzlies playoff push

Though Morant has not been playing basketball while away from the team, there's a flip side to his absence. He should be well-rested for the stretch run, with plenty of time to get a rhythm again before the playoffs as Memphis dukes it out with Sacramento for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

The scene at FedExForum whenever Morant does play again – maybe next Wednesday or a week from Friday against Houston – should be tremendous, and a reminder he is part of a forgiving community in Memphis ready to embrace him again. If indeed Morant has successfully dealt with his off-court issues, this whole ordeal could turn into a positive for the Grizzlies.

Imagine what he might do without the distractions that led to this ordeal.

You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter: @mgiannotto

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Ja Morant broke silence with ESPN. What did he learn from gun video?