Ja Morant scripted his return in typical Hollywood fashion after his 25-game suspension. He was earlier suspended for displaying a firearm on social media and geared up to take his team to victory against the New Orleans Pelicans in the final moments of the game.
However, the euphoria was soon to end after he suffered a torn labrum in the practice session. He will undergo a season-ending shoulder surgery. His injury will be disastrous for the revived hopes of Memphis Grizzles’ fans, but it may guarantee a greater role for Derrick Rose.
Ja Morant’s injury and Derrick Rose’s return
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Ja Morant’s gun incident alone did not haunt his return to the hardwood. He was charged with assaulting a teenager and maintained that he acted in self-defense. Also, he was charged with threatening the head of the security. Upon his return, he added 34 points at a time when Memphis Grizzles had a 6-19 record in the season primarily due to Morant’s absence. In the previous season, Grizzles had an impressive 51-31 record. After his return grizzlies limped back to 13-23 record before Morant’s injury. The Grizzles star took to Twitter and commented upon his injury.”Damn Dawg”, he wrote. Morant averages 22.5 points, 7.4 assists, and 4.8 rebounds in his career. The former MVP and Rookie of the Year averaged 25.1 points this year.
In the absence of Morant, Derrick Rose and Marcus Smart got increased roles. Rose, having suffered a season full of injuries, was recently back on the injury list. He suffers from a left hamstring strain and is being considered from week to week as reported by ESPN. It means that the star is likely to be dropped out of a few more games before he returns to play. Rose is not having the finest time in his career but Morant’s absence will give him space to create that.
Morant injury and Derrick’s opportunity
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Rose left the game against the San Antonio Spurs due to thigh soreness. He had 4 points, and 2 assists in his 9 minutes play. Subsequently, he was ruled out of the Wednesday game against the Toronto Raptors. The former MVP and Rookie of the Year has played 716 regular season games for 15 seasons.
The Grizzles star averages 17.5 points, 5.2 assists, and 3.2 rebounds in a career. This season he averaged 8.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists. The injury issues despite the absence of Morant weighed heavy over his statistics. He played in just 17 games out of the regular 33 games this season.
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How do you think Ja Morant’s absence will impact the career of Derrick Rose? Let us know in the comments.
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