Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant sprained his left ankle in practice on Sunday, and the team is considering the two-time All-Star “week-to-week,” according to Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
The Grizzlies are poised to open their 2025-26 NBA preseason schedule against the Detroit Pistons on Monday night. They’ll tip off the regular season against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, Oct. 22 — just over two weeks from their centerpiece lead ball-handler suffering a “week-to-week” injury.
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Morant’s shelving is just the latest in a string of ongoing injury woes for the Grizzlies, who finished 48-34 and made the playoffs last season, but who experienced plenty of upheaval late in the year — headlined by the surprise firing of longtime head coach Taylor Jenkins just nine games before the postseason, reportedly owing in part to discord over the structure of Memphis’ offense and Morant’s place in it.
All-Star big man Jaren Jackson Jr., recipient of a five-year, $240 million contract extension this summer, is rehabilitating after undergoing foot surgery to repair a turf toe injury. Second-year center Zach Edey is still working his way back from surgery on his left ankle. Ace reserve forward/center Brandon Clarke needed an arthroscopic procedure to address synovitis in his right knee, and isn’t expected to be re-evaluated until late October or early November.
The likelihood of entering the regular season without the bulk of your big-man rotation was daunting enough for the Grizzlies. The prospect of also starting off without Morant, who averaged a team-high 23.2 points and 7.3 assists per game last season, would be downright brutal — especially after the summertime decision to trade longtime No. 2 backcourt option Desmond Bane to the Magic in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (a less creative on-ball player), Cole Anthony (since waived) and four first-round draft picks.
In Morant’s absence, the Grizzlies will likely turn primary playmaking duties over to reserves Scotty Pippen Jr., whose two-way play represented a rare bright spot in Memphis’ four-game sweep at the hands of the eventual-champion Thunder in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs, and Ty Jerome, who inked a three-year, $28 million deal with the Grizzlies coming off his breakout campaign in Cleveland.
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