Ja Morant’s latest shoulder injury is going to keep him off the floor indefinitely.
The Memphis Grizzlies star is out with a Grade 1 AC joint sprain in his right shoulder after he went down in Friday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans, the team confirmed on Monday night. There is no timetable for his return, though Morant is now considered “week-to-week.”
Morant left Friday’s 132-124 win at the Smoothie King Center early after he was hit with a hard screen at the top of the floor from Pelicans center Daniel Theis. Morant went down hard and immediately started rolling around in pain while pointing to his shoulder, and he initially drew an offensive foul. That, however, was overturned after a Pelicans challenge.
Morant eventually walked off the floor and went to the locker room. He finished with 25 points and seven assists in that win, and he then missed Sunday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Morant has averaged 21.2 points and 7.9 assists per game this season with the Grizzlies. The 25-year-old missed most of last season, first due to a 25-game suspension that stemmed from a string of gun and off-court incidents and then due to a season-ending right shoulder injury he sustained in practice. Morant underwent surgery to repair a labral tear in his right shoulder in January, but he was cleared to return before this season started.
Morant has already missed 13 games this season due to various injuries, though the team has gone 8-5 without him. They will enter Tuesday’s game against the Phoenix Suns with a 22-11 record.
While it sounds like Morant may have avoided the worst, considering it’s just a Grade 1 sprain, re-injuring his shoulder not quite a year out from surgery is undoubtedly concerning for Grizzlies fans. With his recent history, expect Memphis to be extra cautious with his return in the coming weeks.
