Memphis Grizzlies superstar point guard Ja Morant rolled his right ankle in Monday's preseason game against the Dallas Mavericks. Although he returned to the court and appeared to be fine, Morant again left the game later on and did not return with what the team labeled as an ankle sprain.
There has been a lot of worry coming from Memphis about Morant once again dealing with an injury fresh off his season-ending shoulder surgery, but head coach Taylor Jenkins delivered an optimistic outlook on his star's injury on Wednesday.
While Morant is dealing with a mild ankle sprain and the team will be cautious with their approach leading up to the start of the season, this injury is not expected to hinder the All-Star's availability for opening night on October 23 against the Utah Jazz, according to Damichael Cole of the Commercial Appeal.
After returning to the game following the initial turn of his ankle, Morant appeared to give the “I'm done” sign to the Grizzlies' bench and medical personnel before checking out of the game. Even before Wednesday's report that Morant would be fine, Jenkins and the Grizzlies didn't seem to be worrying all that much about the light tweak their star suffered.
Regardless of how Morant feels over the course of the next couple of weeks in practice, the Grizzlies are going to monitor him very closely. It would not be a surprise if he plays limited minutes or is simply benched for the rest of the preseason in order to be ready for the start of the regular season.
The Grizzlies were hit harder than any other team by injuries last season, which is why the organization is going to be cautious with their approach to Morant's latest mild ankle sprain.
Morant is a vital part of the Grizzlies' potential success. After all, the team has won close to 58 percent of their games over the last five seasons when he plays.
Unfortunately, Morant's 2023-24 campaign was cut short due to a shoulder injury once he was reinstated from his suspension to begin the year. In the nine games he played, Morant averaged 25.1 points and 8.1 assists per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the floor.
Playoff expectations once again exist in Memphis, which is why Morant's health comes before anything else for this franchise. The team will provide further updates on Morant's availability through the remainder of the preseason on a day-to-day basis.