Ja Morant’s latest shoulder injury will keep him off the court indefinitely.
The Memphis Grizzlies star is out with a Grade 1 AC joint sprain in his right shoulder after going down in Friday’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans, the team confirmed Monday night. There is no timetable for his return, although Morant is now considered to be “week to week.”
Morant left Friday’s 132-124 win at Smoothie King Center early after Pelicans center Daniel Theis hit him with a hard screen at the top of the court. Morant went down hard and immediately began rolling in pain while targeting his shoulder, and initially committed an offensive foul. That, however, was overturned after a challenge from the Pelicans.
Morant finally left the court and headed to the locker room. He finished with 25 points and seven assists in that win, and 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 series of weapons and off-the-court incidents and then due to a right shoulder injury he suffered. in practice and that ended the season. Morant underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder in January, but was cleared to return before this season began.
Morant has already missed 13 games this season due to various injuries, although the team is 8-5 without him. They will enter Tuesday’s game against the Phoenix Suns with a 22-11 record.
While it seems like Morant may have avoided the worst, considering it’s only a Grade 1 sprain, re-injuring his shoulder less than a year after surgery is certainly concerning for Grizzlies fans. With his recent history, Memphis is expected to be very cautious about his return in the coming weeks.