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The Memphis Grizzlies beat the Indiana Pacers 120-116 in their latest exhibition on Monday and will wrap up their preseason schedule against the Miami Heat on Friday night. After Ja Morant rolled his ankle in the Grizzlies' preseason opener against the Dallas Mavericks, the two-time All-Star showed confidence in his speedy recovery. Morant is expected to return in Memphis' preseason finale against the Heat, per Grizzlies.com's Michael Wallace.
“Word is Ja Morant is likely to return for tonight’s preseason finale vs Heat after sitting out last 3 games to rest sore ankle,” Wallace reported. “Ja returns to a [Grizzlies] offense making strides in adjustments to a higher-paced scheme. He’s talked about how the tweaks positively impact his game.”
Morant pointed to the Grizzlies' constantly flowing offense as one of the most significant improvements he has noticed throughout training camp.
“[It's] a lot different. Not too much stagnant offense. Not too much watch a guy. It's a lot of movement,” Morant said. “I'm seeing a lot of different looks. Now, I'm getting a lot of catch-and-shoot opportunities, back-cuts, catches on the run. So, I felt like it played right into my hands and allows me to get better looks and don't have to dribble too much.”
After averaging 25.1 points, 8.1 assists, and 5.6 rebounds in nine appearances, a shoulder injury derailed the second half of Morant's season. But the setback has prepared him for what he and the Grizzlies hope will be the kind of production from that nine-game stretch that the team can build on in 2024-25.
Word is Ja Morant is likely to return for tonight’s preseason finale vs Heat after sitting out last 3 games to rest sore ankle.
Ja returns to a @memgrizz offense making strides in adjustments to higher-paced scheme. He’s talked about how the tweaks positively impact his game: https://t.co/yOvflST9Vu pic.twitter.com/tXmFQxtQpn
— Michael Wallace (@MyMikeCheck) October 18, 2024
After returning from an injured right-hand injury that ultimately ended his season last season, Grizzlies' veteran guard Marcus Smart escaped his preseason scare when he hurt his knee in Memphis' 119-94 loss to the Charlotte Hornets last Thursday. The 2022 Defensive Player of the Year said his knee was “fine” afterward, as one can assume he's missed the Grizzlies' previous two preseason outings for preventive purposes, per Athlon Sports' Adel Ahmad.
“I took a knee-to-knee. It's probably gonna be a little sore,” Smart said. “Put it like this: If the season started today, I'll play.”
Marcus Smart sends warning about Ja Morant-Zach Edey duo
Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart believes the Grizzlies' Ja Morant and Zach Edey will become one of the NBA's deadliest offensive duos. Smart envisions Edey's size and abilities at center will accentuate Morant's offense for Memphis, per Sportskeeta's Grant Afseth.
“Oh, it's going to be deadly, man. It's just going to open up things even more for us, especially for Ja,” Smart said. “We all know what Ja can do with a little space, so just imagine what he can do with a lot of space cleared out by a big like Zach.”
Edey, the Grizzlies' 9th overall pick in this year's draft, will make his NBA debut against the Utah Jazz next Wednesday.
