Ja Morant to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery
The Memphis Grizzlies announced Monday evening that star guard Ja Morant will go undergo season-ending shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum. Morant, who sat Sunday’s game due to what was labeled “shoulder soreness,” has appeared in just nine games this season after serving a 25-game suspension for waving a gun around on social media.
“At Saturday’s training session, Morant suffered a subluxation of his right shoulder. Following ongoing soreness and instability, Morant underwent an MRI that revealed an underlying labral tear,” the Grizzlies’ statement read. “Morant will undergo season-ending surgery and is expected to make a full recovery ahead of the 2024-25 season.”
Morant returned from suspension on Dec. 19 against the New Orleans Pelicans, where he tallied 34 points, six rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a block in a two-point comeback victory on the road.
In his nine games, the Grizzlies were 6-3 with a dead-even 0.0 NET Rating–as opposed to the minus-7.4 NET Rating without him (7-20 W-L). The 24-year-old was averaging 25.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 8.1 assists, shooting 47.1 percent from the floor and 81.3 percent from the free-throw line.
This is a big blow for a Grizzlies squad that’s been decimated by injuries to Steven Adams, Brandon Clarke, Luke Kennard, Marcus Smart and Xavier Tillman, among others, throughout this season. Not to mention, the Grizzlies remain 4.5 back of the Los Angeles Lakers for the fourth-and-final play-in spot in the Western Conference roughly two-and-a-half months into the 2023-24 season.
This likely means the Grizzlies make some sort of pivot at the Feb. 8 trade deadline barring something unforeseen. As of this writing, they currently have a nine percent chance at landing the No. 1 pick, ahead of the Atlanta Hawks, San Antonio Spurs (via TOR, top-6 protected) and Brooklyn Nets (via HOU).
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