Ja Morant has been out of action for the Memphis Grizzlies for well over a month now. The last time the two-time All-Star took the court was on Jan. 21 in a 124-122 loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
Morant has been sidelined by a lingering elbow injury. He has been working his way back, but there has been no substantial progress toward a firm return date.
Morant has been limited to 20 games this season. Over that stretch, the 26-year-old has produced averages of 19.5 points on 41.0% shooting, 3.3 rebounds, 8.1 assists and 1.0 steals in a career-low 28.5 minutes per contest.
© Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
There was a lot of talk surrounding Morant’s seemingly imminent departure before the trade deadline. He’s had a tumultuous seventh season with the Grizzlies, which included a team-mandated suspension earlier in the season.
There were no takers for Morant in the market, though, and he’s remained in Memphis past the deadline.
On Thursday, the Grizzlies took to social media to make an announcement about Morant’s injury status. The team revealed the results of his latest re-evaluation.
“Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant is progressing in his rehabilitation from a UCL sprain in his left elbow but continues to experience discomfort. Morant underwent follow-up imaging yesterday, which showed incomplete healing of the injury.
“Morant will be reevaluated in two weeks, and further updates will be provided as appropriate,” Grizzlies PR posted on X.
Morant needs more time to rehab his elbow injury. He will now miss at least two more weeks. This means he will be out for at least another seven games. His first chance to return would be on March 20 against the Boston Celtics.
Even that has no guarantee, though. The Grizzlies are currently 23-38 and 11th in the Western Conference. They are still fighting for a play-in spot, but they won’t be competing for a championship this year. This only means that they are in no rush to bring back Morant.
Memphis has taken a cautious approach with Morant’s health this season, and this trend continues with this latest update.
