During the Memphis Grizzlies’ lopsided 132-100 loss to the Atlanta Hawks during Friday’s NBA action, there was a potentially scary scene. Ja Morant had to be helped off the court after a knee injury — keeping him from returning.
Morant experienced his injury in the first quarter of the game after making a pass to a teammate. The Grizzlies later announced his injury as a “sprained left knee”.
“We’re so thankful we avoided a significant injury,” Jenkins said, via the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “We expect a full recovery, and this is nothing long-term that we’re worried about.”
Prior to the Grizzlies’ matchup with the Sacramento Kings on Sunday, the Grizzlies shared more information in regards to Morant’s injury — making it clear that a significant injury was avoided.
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Morant has been a pivotal element of this Grizzlies team and his individual contributions have been key. He is averaging 24.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.6 steals on the season — making a real case for his first-career All-Star nod as well as the NBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year Award.
Seeing the leader of the team go down with an injury was obviously a concerning sight for the whole team. It was a challenge for the rest of the roster to finish out at a high level against the Hawks for the remaining three-quarters of action.
“I think seeing the way that he went off the floor kind of sent shockwaves through the team,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “The Hawks played really, really well. We had a lot of looks that didn’t fall. Definitely, the mojo was kind of lost.”
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It remains to be seen how long the Memphis Grizzlies will remain without Ja Morant in the lineup. Regardless, of how long it takes, the outcome is far greater than having experienced a significant, potentially career-altering injury like a torn meniscus or torn ACL.
