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The Memphis Grizzlies may have taken a huge win against the Los Angeles Lakers on November 6, but it came at the expense of their best player, star point guard Ja Morant. Morant fell hard to the ground after attempting to throw down an emphatic lob dunk and he had to exit the game as a result. Following that game, the Grizzlies announced that Morant sustained a hip subluxation and multiple Grade 1 pelvic muscle strains and that he'll be out indefinitely, with the team assessing his status week-to-week.
It's not quite clear how far along Morant is in his recovery process, as the Grizzlies have been mum regarding his injury status. Nonetheless, the 25-year-old point guard said so himself on his official account on X (formerly known as Twitter) that he could be back to the hardwood earlier than anticipated.
“sooner than you think . 🥷🏾 source: me 🤝🏾,” Morant wrote.
The Grizzlies have been very cautious on the injury front in the past, so it's not likely for Morant to return to action if he isn't quite fully healthy yet. But head coach Taylor Jenkins said this weekend that Morant will be undergoing more imaging, and it seems as though Morant is feeling good about how those tests will turn out.
After a lost 2023-24 season, Morant will be raring to play in as many games as he can as he leads the Grizzlies back to where they were before he was embroiled in plenty of controversies to end the 2022-23 campaign. And perhaps Memphis could get him back soon as the team gets back to full strength more and more with each passing day.
Ja Morant and the Grizzlies are getting healthier
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The Western Conference is ever unforgiving. One rough stretch may be all the difference between a playoff berth and missing out entirely. In the early goings of the season, the Grizzlies have gone 8-6, which is good enough for the meantime to have them bunched up in the middle of the playoff-caliber pack.
The good news is that the Grizzlies have been getting major rotation pieces over the past week or so. Desmond Bane recently made his return from a oblique injury, while Marcus Smart, despite missing Memphis' 105-90 win over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday due to illness, appears to have put his ankle sprain in the rearview mirror. They also recently got back swiss army knife Vince Williams Jr., as well as one of the best snipers in the league, Luke Kennard, making an already-loaded team that much deeper.
One thing that has kept the Grizzlies afloat during their Morant-less stretch has been the excellent play of Jaren Jackson Jr., who is playing the best basketball (at least offensively) of his career. Scottie Pippen Jr. has also been immense in the starting lineup in Morant's stead, averaging 11.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in five starts.
The Grizzlies' rotation only serves to become more crowded when Morant returns, and fans shouldn't forget about the eventual comeback of GG Jackson II, the man who impressed during his rookie campaign.
