Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant is expected to be on the floor for the team’s regular season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday, October 22, despite dealing with an ankle injury earlier this month.
Morant sprained his left ankle during practice on October 5, an injury the team initially described as week-to-week. Head coach Tuomas Iisalo said the setback came during a “basketball play” near the end of practice. “Luckily, it’s preseason, and we look to have him back soon,” Iisalo told reporters at the time.
That quick return is now set to happen. NBA insider Marc Stein reported that Morant will be active against New Orleans, while teammates Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr. will not play. According to Bleacher Report, Memphis will also qualify for a Disabled Player Exception, with Jerome, Pippen, Brandon Clarke, and rookie Zach Edey each set to miss at least three consecutive games.
For Morant, the ankle injury is the latest in a series of health concerns over the past two seasons. Since the start of the 2023–24 campaign, the two-time All-Star has appeared in just 59 games.
Last year alone, he dealt with a torn labrum in his right shoulder that required surgery, multiple hip injuries, and an AC joint sprain in his shoulder that continued to bother him into the spring. He also served a 25-game suspension in 2023 for conduct detrimental to the league.
Despite those setbacks, the 26-year-old guard has remained the centerpiece of the franchise. Drafted second overall in 2019 out of Murray State, Morant won Rookie of the Year and later earned the Most Improved Player award in 2021-22. He has also been named to the All-NBA Second Team once in his career.
Memphis has reached the postseason in four of Morant’s six years, though injuries across the roster have consistently tested the team’s depth.
This year will be no different: along with Clarke and Edey, Jaren Jackson Jr. is also recovering from injury. The team traded guard Desmond Bane to Orlando this past offseason, putting even more weight on Morant’s return to lead the Grizzlies’ backcourt.