After sitting out the season’s first 25 games due to off court issues, Ja Morant’s 2023-24 campaign is officially over after just 9 contests following an injury to his right shoulder.
Morant will officially undergo season ending surgery to address a labral tear in his right shoulder, putting an end to his year after only 9 games played. The 24 year old becomes the 2nd Grizzlies starter to require season ending surgery this year, joining Steven Adams on the injured list. It’s believed that Morant suffered the practice in a training session on Saturday.
In his small sample size, Morant appeared to be returning to his All-Star form, posting a 25.1pts/5.6reb/8.1ast stat line while shooting 47.1% from the field. The former Murray State alum was playing in the first year of his new 5 year, $197M contract extension with the team.
Memphis started the 2022-23 campaign off blisteringly hot, sitting near the top of the NBA standings for the first half of the season. However from there, a series of off court incidents derailed their title hopes, ultimately bowing out in the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Following the loss, Morant was suspended 25 games by the league, and Dillon Brooks became the scapegoat for the team’s shortcomings, ultimately leaving town to join the Houston Rockets. Memphis then traded Tyus Jones, and their 1st round pick in a 3 team deal to acquire Marcus Smart from Boston. However the loss of Adams, Morant, and Jones, coupled with Smart’s unfamiliarity with head coach Taylor Jenkins’ system resulted in an abysmal 6-19 start for the Grizzlies.
After going 7-4 with Morant back with the club, Memphis now faces another uphill battle to remain in the hunt for a play-in-tournament spot in the Western Conference. Currently sitting at 13-23 on the year, the club is already 5 games behind the Lakers for the final postseason spot as is.
Memphis is next in action vs. Dallas on Tuesday evening at 8:30pm ET.
Photo: Erik Drost. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.