The 2025-26 NBA season hasn’t even begun yet, but already the Memphis Grizzlies have an ever expanding injury list involving key players.
Ja Morant is the latest Grizzly to suffer an injury after rolling his left ankle at practice on Sunday. The official diagnosis is an ankle sprain, which will make Morant “week-to-week”. Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo downplayed the severity of the injury when speaking to reporters Monday night, but stopped short of providing any kind of concrete timeline.
“Luckily, it’s preseason, and we look to have him back soon,” Iisalo told members of the press prior to tipoff vs. Detroit.
While an ankle sprain wouldn’t normally be anything to lose sleep over, it’s becoming a case of deja vu for Memphis as Morant has played a total of only 59 games over the past two seasons combined. Between suspensions, and injuries, Morant’s availability has been limited at best for the team of late.
Making matters worse, fellow starters Zach Edey and Jaren Jackson Jr. are also dealing with injuries of their own and are at risk of missing opening night on October 22nd as well.
Edey is currently rehabilitating his left ankle following a surgical procedure in June. Meanwhile Jackson went under the knife himself in July to address a turf toe injury that had been hampering him for some time.
When healthy, Morant has been a true difference maker for Memphis, averaging 22.6pts/4.7reb/7.4ast per game over the course of a 307 game career. But between off court issues, and his health, he’s never appeared in more than 67 games for Memphis, and that was in his rookie season.
A hobbled Grizzlies lineup has 4 preseason games remaining, giving the coaching staff ample time to check out possible replacement options for their 3 missing starters. However, how many of Edey, Jackson, and Morant will be available for the regular season opener vs. New Orleans later this month remains to be seen.
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.