Ja Morant to Miss 3-5 Weeks With Grade 2 Ankle Sprain

The Memphis Grizzlies suffered a big setback when franchise point guard Ja Morant sprained his ankle three games into the Grizzlies’ 2020-21 campaign.

Morant suffered the injury during the second quarter of the Grizzlies’ game against the Brooklyn Nets last Monday. Ja was trying to block a shot by the Nets’ Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot when he landed on Luwawu-Cabarrot’s foot. Morant hopped to the sideline in pain and before falling next to the Grizzlies’ bench grimacing in pain. He was later carted off to the locker room using a wheelchair:

Grizzlies Dodged A Bullet

Initial x-rays showed no structural damage to Morant’s ankle. However, after an MRI on Tuesday, it was revealed that the Grizzlies’ guard suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain. In a statement, the team announced that Morant will miss three to five weeks of action because of the injury. However, it was clear that the Grizzlies dodged a bullet there because it could have been worse after Morant left the court in a wheelchair.

Morant had a strong start to the 2020-21 season. On opening night, he recorded a career-high with 44 points along with 9 assists, two rebounds, and two steals in a 131-119 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. He followed that up with 28 points and 7 assists against Trae Young and the Hawks but the Grizzlies opened the season with back-to-back losses. Morant finished with only 7 points in 14 minutes in the game he was hurt. Interestingly, the Grizzlies picked up their first win of the season there.

Losing Ground to Gain it

Year 2 of the Ja Morant era was supposed to the year when the Grizzlies would finally return to the postseason for the first time since the Grit and Grind era. But obviously, losing Morant for three to five weeks in a shortened season will hurt the team’s chances to achieve that goal. But sometimes, you have to lose ground to gain it. And even before the injury, replicating last season’s success was a big challenge.

Not only have the other teams in the league gotten much better after the success of the plug-and-play Lakers, but the Grizzlies also opened the season saddled with injuries. Memphis is still without their other franchise cornerstone Jaren Jackson who is still recovering from a torn meniscus in his left knee. They have also been playing minus Justise Winslow who is still on the mend after a hip injury. Winslow has not played since being traded to the Grizzlies last February.

The Grizzlies were listed as +165 underdogs to make the playoffs at Bovada. FiveThirtyEight listed their playoff chances at 26% before the start of the season. They are currently tied for the longest odds to win the Southwest division at +1600 at SportsBetting.ag.

In short, the Grizzlies were just in fringe contendership status before the Morant injury. Maybe when he returns, Jackson and Winslow will be back too. Losing Morant now is disappointing but it gives the Grizzlies a chance to grow as a team and come back stronger.