Featured Columnist IVNovember 9, 2024
Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant is week-to-week after suffering hip and pelvic muscle injuries during a Nov. 6 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Morant suffered a “posterior hip subluxation,” alongside “multiple associated Grade 1 pelvic muscle strains,” according to the team.
Marc J. Spears @MarcJSpears
Grizzlies say Ja Morant has a posterior hip subluxation and a Grade 1 pelvic muscle strain. pic.twitter.com/hUD5lw6x37
The two-time All-Star guard was forced to exit Memphis’ 131-114 win over the Lakers with the injury. He left midway through the third quarter and didn’t return.
No team has been snakebitten more in terms of injuries in recent years than the Grizzlies. In 2023-24, they used 33 different players because head coach Taylor Jenkins was forced to adjust his lineup so frequently.
Morant wound up logging just nine appearances. He was suspended for the first 25 games and then suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.
The 25-year-old had to shake off the rust a bit as the regular season tipped off but is returning to his peak level. He’s averaging 20.6 points and 9.1 assists while shooting 44.8 percent from the field.
Memphis, meanwhile, is sitting at 6-4 in the tightly packed Western Conference.
Four games separated the fifth-place Dallas Mavericks and 10th-place Golden State Warriors a season ago, and the margins could be even slimmer now because the Grizzlies, along with the Houston Rockets, have grander ambitions after missing the play-in tournament.
Morant’s contributions will be instrumental toward Memphis’ playoff hopes because we know how tough things can be for the team when he’s out of the lineup for an extended stretch.
