Grizzlies of Memphis: Where’s Ja Morant? Not a Thing

The Memphis Grizzlies’ offence came to a grinding halt after Ja Morant had a hand injury late in Game 1 against the Los Angeles Lakers, which allowed the Lakers to sneak away with a victory.

With the superstar out of Game 2, the Grizzlies’ chances of advancing seemed dim against the newly dominant Lakers, especially considering that Steven Adams (sprained PCL) and Brandon Clarke (Achilles) were already sidelined.

Tyus Jones has helped the Grizzlies to victory without Ja Morant in the regular season, but beating LeBron James & the Los Angeles Lakers was a completely different beast.

That’s what we assumed, at least.

Jones contributed 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 8 assists, and Xavier Tillman Sr. added 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 assists as Memphis won 103-93 and knotted the series.

According to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, the Grizzlies have gone 33-17 since the start of last season (including the playoffs) without their star point guard.

Memphis is a well-coached, selfless, deep team that plays fearlessly no matter who they’re up against. Even while we’re crossing our fingers that Morant will be able to play in Game 3, the Grizzlies have shown they can succeed even without him.

Ja Morant

American professional basketball player Temetrius Jamel “Ja” Morant (born August 10, 1999) currently plays for the Memphis Grizzlies of the NBA.

In 2019, as a sophomore, he was a consensus first-team All-American in college basketball with the Murray State Racers.

Despite being voted Most Valuable Player of the Region three times and garnering All-State honours at Crestwood High School in Sumter, South Carolina, Morant received minimal interest from NCAA Division I programmes and was unranked by recruiting agencies.

Despite this, he had an immediate effect at Murray State University, where he was named to the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) first team as a freshman. His sophomore year was his breakout year, as he won the OVC Player of the Year award and topped the NCAA in assists.

Morant made history as a sophomore by being the first player in NCAA history to post single-season averages of 20+ points and 10+ assists.

Morant, the very second overall pick in the 2019 NBA lottery, will be the league’s Rookie of the Year in 2020 after being selected by the Grizzlies.

Morant was selected to his first All-NBA Team and NBA All-Star Game in 2022, and at the end of the year, he also received the NBA’s Most Improved Player Award.

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