Ja Morant’s season is over.
The Memphis Grizzlies’ star guard injured his right shoulder during a Saturday training session, per the team, and will undergo surgery that will keep him out the rest of the year. After he missed the first 25 games of the season due to suspension, the Grizz went 6–3 with Morant in the lineup, providing hope that maybe—just maybe—the team could still be a factor come the postseason. Instead, Memphis will have to revert back to the group that’s gone 7–20 without Morant this season. Here are some takeaways from the situation …
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1. The Grizzlies should be cautious until the summer.
Memphis doesn’t need to go into a full-on tank, but it should be judicious in how it treats its star players for the rest of this season. Morant is not the only serious injury the Grizzlies are dealing with. Steven Adams was already scheduled to miss the rest of the year with a knee injury. Brandon Clarke’s return is up in the air after he tore his Achilles last season. If I’m the Grizz, I wouldn’t overload Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. for the next few months only to sneak into the play-in. Memphis’s games were already taking on a heightened level of intensity because of its uphill climb in the standings. With Morant done, shutting down young stars like Bane and Jackson would be far too extreme, but the team should try to protect them as best they can from injury over the next four months.
2. Memphis shouldn’t be sellers, either.
It took only minutes for NBA Twitter to start suggesting Marcus Smart trades after Morant’s surgery was announced. That’s a bad idea. The Grizzlies don’t need to start trading away vets to help other contenders because this current season is likely lost. Memphis should fully expect to be back in the fold next year as one of the top teams in the league. Why give away someone like Smart, who still has two more years left on his deal? This isn’t a situation in which Memphis needs to make some grand pivot toward the future. If anything, the Grizzlies should remain aggressive in trying to build around Morant, Bane and Jackson if the right piece becomes available in the next month. There are now several up-and-coming teams in the West trying to occupy the space the Grizzlies have for the last couple of seasons. The Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and Sacramento Kings are all hungry squads in the mix of the conference’s top six. Memphis shouldn’t willingly fall further behind by selling off any complementary players.
3. There’s a silver lining.
It’s not very fun to say, but the Grizzlies were wise to hold on to their 2024 first-round pick last offseason. Memphis should get a decent spot in the lottery if its record without Morant is any indication. And that’s going to be an important pick for this franchise. The Grizzlies have drafted some solid role players over the years, but they have their flaws. And their last couple of summers of roster machinations have left the team’s depth a little shaky. A cost-controlled player who could contribute right away would be a boon for a team with three high-priced stars. Ultimately, the Grizzlies were in a tough position this year playing from behind after the Morant suspension. No team ever wants to feel like it’s wasted a season. But if Memphis doesn’t panic and can make something out of its better draft pick this summer, then its future should be as bright as ever moving forward.
