Grizzlies' Ja Morant to sit vs. Pistons with new injury
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Memphis Grizzlies All-Star guard Ja Morant, who recently made his return from an eight-game hiatus due to a hip injury, is back on the injury report with a knee injury.
In the Grizzlies’ most recent 123-98 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers, Morant appeared to bang knees with a Blazers defender while fighting over a loose ball. Morant finished the game with 22 points and 11 assists in 23 minutes of play. He did not play during the final eight minutes of this game.
The unfortunate moment when Ja Morant appears to injure his knee.
Prayers up for a quick recovery pic.twitter.com/L4jCTAwYFg
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 8, 2022
After seeing the Grizzlies move to 11-7 in his return, Morant provided some clarity on his knee injury, which the team is labeling as a left knee contusion.
“A little knee to knee,” Morant said, via Damichael Cole of the Commercial Appeal. “Everybody know I get back up every time. … Quick little stinger, get out the way and just take care of it now.”
While he just returned from his hip injury, Morant is back on the injury report and will miss Wednesday night’s game before Thanksgiving against the Detroit Pistons. This will be the 10th game of the season that Morant will not be playing in. He will only be allowed to miss seven more games before becoming ineligible for end-of-season awards and honors like MVP and All-NBA team selections.
Although neither Morant nor the Grizzlies are too concerned about this knee injury, they are being cautious with their approach. Morant has only played in 18 games since the start of the 2023-24 season due to injury, which is why Memphis will take extra steps to ensure he is 100 percent before playing.
Grizzlies’ approach without Ja Morant
Without Morant on the floor, the Grizzlies have been able to sustain success through the emergence of unlikely names.
Scotty Pippen Jr., who spent last season proving himself on a two-way contract, and rookie Jaylen Wells have been the unsung heroes for the Grizzlies through the first month of the 2024-25 season with Morant, Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart, and others dealing with some minor ailments.
Pippen has solidified himself as the Grizzlies’ backup point guard behind Morant, averaging 12.1 points, 5.8 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in 18 total games, eight of which he’s started. Between his toughness and passing abilities, Pippen has reminded Grizzlies fans of what they had with Tyus Jones just a few years ago.
Wells, who was an afterthought entering the year as a second-round pick, has started in 13 of the 18 games he’s played due to his two-way intensity and three-point shooting abilities. With a similar mold to that of Bane, the Grizzlies have utilized Wells’ length and shooting to make him an impactful two-way wing early in his career.
These two will continue to see their usage increase with Morant sitting against the Pistons on Wednesday night. Bane and Smart will also assume the primary ball handling duties.
In regards to a specific timeframe for Morant’s new knee injury, the team isn’t concerned that he will miss a prolonged period of time like he did with his hip injury. There is even a chance that this will only result in a one-game absence, as Morant could return for Memphis’ final NBA Cup game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
The team will provide further updates on his status following Wednesday night’s game.
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