Just as Ja Morant is working on his redemption tour with the Memphis Grizzlies, the star guard suffered an unfortunate setback, which will keep him off the court for some time.
On Saturday, the Grizzlies announced that Morant has sustained a UCL sprain in his left elbow in the Grizzlies' latest home game against the Atlanta Hawks.
While the Grizzlies are confident that he'll make a full recovery, he's expected to miss at least three weeks of action. He'll get re-evaluated around then, and the Grizzlies will pinpoint his date of return based on the evaluation.
Since the start of the 2025-2026 NBA season, Morant has been in a tough spot. Early on, he was struggling to see eye to eye with his coaching staff. Some critical comments that he made public led to a suspension that was team-issued.
Then, after a five-minute showing against the Cleveland Cavaliers on November 15, Morant was ruled out for a long stretch of games. He was out for 10 games in a row. Although he returned for two games in mid-December, he went on to miss four more games in a row.
Since Christmas, Morant has played and missed seven games. On January 18, he returned to the court for a 28-minute showing in London after a six-game stretch of absences. It was a positive showing for Morant; he went 7-13 from the field to score 24 points. He notched a double-double with 13 assists.
Against the Hawks, he shot 7-15 for 23 points, 12 assists, and two rebounds in 29 minutes. The Grizzlies came up short with a 124-122 loss. When the Grizzlies took on the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday without Morant, they lost 133-127.
Lately, there's been a lot of chatter surrounding Morant's status as a potential trade piece out of Memphis. Rumors suggested that the Grizzlies would take calls for Morant, and the star guard was initially open to a move. However, Morant reportedly changed his stance and would like to stay in Tennessee for the remainder of the season.
All signs are pointing to Morant remaining on the Grizzlies' roster, but his name is still one to monitor now that he's back on the injury report for several weeks.
Newsweek