Scott Polacek @@ScottPolacek Featured Columnist IV November 7, 2024
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The Memphis Grizzlies announced star Ja Morant left Wednesday’s 131-114 win over the Los Angeles Lakers with a right hamstring injury.
He was listed as doubtful, but did not return after exiting, finishing with 20 points, five assists and four rebounds.
Any setback to Morant is going to be worrisome for the Grizzlies both because he is the team’s franchise player and he played just nine games in 2023-24.
It was revealed in January 2024 he needed season-ending shoulder surgery, which cut short a campaign that started with a 25-game suspension for being shown on video with a gun for the second time in two months.
As a result, Morant entered the 2024-25 campaign having never played more than 67 games in a season since he was the No. 2 overall pick of the 2019 NBA draft.
When healthy, he is one of the best guards in the league.
He averaged 25.1 points, 8.1 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game in his limited time last season and has followed with 20.7 points, 9.7 assists and 5.1 rebounds a night in the early going in 2024-25.
While the Grizzlies’ chances at a deep Western Conference playoff run likely depend on Morant being available, they do have other options who can fill in if needed. Look for the combination of Scotty Pippen Jr. and Luke Kennard to see more playing time if Morant is sidelined following this setback.
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