“Ain’t no question mark, boy. All y’all who ain’t got Ja in your narrative, you trippin.’” For former Boston Celtics champion Kevin Garnett, having just Ja Morant on your squad is enough to elevate the Memphis Grizzlies over everyone else. Even the reigning Western Conference champions Dallas Mavericks. After a series of gun-related incidents and an injury that kept the player off the court for the majority of the 2023-24 season, fans had been anticipating the return of their star player to the court. His performance during the preseason debut against the Mavericks certainly showed that their team’s good days may just be ahead of them. Unfortunately, after a momentous return to the court, the player’s days of being on the bench do not seem to be behind him for now.

Earlier today, sports reporter Colin Cody highlighted Taylor Jenkins’ recent remarks. The Grizzlies head coach did not bring with him good news, as he revealed that Ja Morant had ended up missing the practice session prior to the Charlotte Hornets game. After an evaluation conducted through an MRI, it was found that the player had developed an ankle sprain, though of a mild nature. Despite the non-severity of the ailment, Jenkins does not wish to take any risk, especially when they have just got the player back. As a result, there is a good chance that Morant will be ruled out for the rest of the preseason matchup, with the hope that he will be available for the first game of the regular season.

Ja Morant had rolled out his ankle over the course of the Dallas Mavericks matchup itself when his foot got hit by the ball. As a result, the player had to head to the locker room within the early stages of the 2 quarter. However, he did return to the court during the latter part of the game and went on to accumulate 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists within 18 minutes. Whether his situation got aggravated by the bit on the court or not, the head coach may not be looking for a repeat of last season. After all, the Memphis Grizzlies reportedly led the league in injury-affected games during the 2023-24 tournament. In light of this, even the slightest ailment would send the team into precautionary mode, as it now has with the 2x NBA All-Star.

The point guard’s 5-year presence has certainly had an impact on the Memphis Grizzlies. By averaging 27.4 and 26.2 points during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons respectively, his contribution had a huge impact on the franchise securing the second-highest seed in both instances. As a result, the suspensions Morant received back in March and May 2023 after two separate incidents of gun flashing affected the team as a whole. The second violation cost the player 25 games at the start of the 2023-24 season as well. Upon his return, Morant developed a season-ending shoulder injury within nine games! With a 27-55 win record, Memphis went from being the 2 seed in one season to the 13 in the next.

Along with Ja Morant, the injury report also has the names of Vince Williams Jr., Cam Spencer, Jaren Jackson Jr., and GG Jackson II listed on it. With a left shin ailment, Williams Jr. is expected to miss the early part of the regular season, while Spencer’s ankle sprain reportedly keeps him out for only the beginning of the preseason. Jackson’s recovery from the low-grade hamstring strain will have him up for the regular season, where Jackson II’s procedure to fix a broken fifth metatarsal is not expected to be evaluated again for the next two months. Having already created a plan on how to move forward without the rest of the players, the Grizzlies will now have to decide the next steps in light of Morant’s absence.

What changes can be expected in the Grizzlies lineup in light of Ja Morant’s absence?

With Ja Morant not being present to take on the Hornets, the Memphis Grizzlies will have to ramp up their defense to allow the other team to not score what they can’t. In light of this, the younger roster can see themselves stepping up to cover for the scorer. While the same may not have worked last season, there is one key difference this time around: the presence of Zach Edey.

It was earlier this week when Marcus Smart sent his flowers to his rookie teammate, stating, “(Edey) is going to be huge for us. He allows us to do a lot of different things on the defensive end. He lets me and Jaren really give everything we’ve got. Being former Defensive Players of the Year, it’s great to have that rim protection behind us. Being 7-foot-4 helps with that.”

Even the head coach has now found that the time has come to put Edey in the spotlight. Providing a detailed rundown of the rookie’s role a couple of days ago, he stated “I think I just want the game and the decision-making to come to him. I think he’s doing a great job — y’all haven’t seen it yet — but finding those right opportunities to rim-run, play behind the defense down in the paint, and then when it’s opportunities to be out on the perimeter — whether he’s trailing a play or he just happens to kind of move himself out there — I want him to feel like he has the green light.”

While the Canadian is known for many things, three-pointers are not amongst them. Despite this, desperate times call for desperate measures. And if Edey’s defensive skills can combine with an offensive prowess, then Morant’s absence could easily be covered for the time being.

Scotty Pippen Jr., son of the legendary Chicago Bulls player, is the secondary point guard. Therefore, in light of the primary’s absence, his minutes could see an increase. Having averaged 12.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists over the course of the 2023-24 season, the player can be relied upon to handle the additional workload.

The Grizzlies-Hornets matchup will probably be a test to see where Edey and Pippen Jr. stand out. Success there could determine whether they can secure major roles on the main lineup during the regular season games or not.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.