Grizzlies news: Ja Morant wheeled off court vs Nets after awkward landing

Grizzlies star Ja Morant suffered a left ankle injury versus the Nets after landing on a Brooklyn player's foot. He had to be wheeled off the court.

Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant suffered a left ankle injury on Monday versus the Brooklyn Nets after landing on a Brooklyn player's foot. He had to be wheeled off the court.

Ja Morant is being wheeled off the floor in Brooklyn. He couldn't put any weight on his left foot.

— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) December 29, 2020

Morant landed on the foot of a Nets player after trying to block a shot. It appears to be a left ankle injury. https://t.co/XGxEulFbTX

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 29, 2020

Ja Morant has lit up the NBA in his young career. He has already scored at least 40 points in a game this season and showed every sign of reaching greater heights with the Grizzlies. One hopes this injury isn't too serious.

The Grizzlies just played the Atlanta Hawks in one of the more compelling NBA games of the young season. The Association has the potential to cultivate fresh, young rivalries in markets which haven't enjoyed continuous long-term success. Morant is a big part of the league's future, breathing new life into franchises removed from the NBA's normal centers of power.

This pandemic season involves several profound limitations for the NBA, a central one being that fans still aren't allowed in arenas in large numbers. Packed houses still won't be a part of NBA life for several months. Not until the 2021-2022 season will NBA arenas be filled to capacity. It is precisely then that basketball fans will want to see Ja Morant and other emergent stars do their thing on the court.

The NBA has lost a lot of revenue from the absence of ticket sales. It started this season when it did in order to capitalize on Christmas Day television money. When the NBA can have full arenas once again, it will need Ja Morant and other elite players to be at their best.

The NBA — not just the Grizzlies — is currently hoping that Ja Morant, one of its most luminous young players in a smaller market, hasn't been hurt too severely. Kevin Durant, who missed the past NBA season, surely can relate to what Morant is going through, creating an extra layer of poignancy to Monday night's events in Brooklyn.