The Memphis Grizzlies can’t catch a break in the playoffs. Last season, Ja Morant suffered a knee injury vs. the Golden State Warriors. This time, the superstar guard may not be available after injuring his right hand.
Morant isn’t an injury-prone player, but he’s missed plenty of time this season. His gun-related incident made the rounds around NBA circles, with multiple veterans reaching out to him with advice.
Morant got counseling and was able to come back in time for the playoffs. But after all he’s been through, he’s still clearly dealing with some complicated emotions, as he admitted after the injury.
Ja Morant Reacts To His Hand Injury
Morant was quite emotional when talking about the injury. He’s clearly still not 100% there, and all he wanted to take his focus off his off-court issues was to be on the floor and hoop with his teammates.
“[It is] tough, man, especially with everything I’ve been through pretty much this season,” Morant said after the game. “My main focus was to be out there for my guys. It’s another incident where that’s pretty much in jeopardy.”
“At this point, I’m not even surprised with how my life’s been going,” added Morant.“I don’t know, man. I’m just pretty much numb to everything now. It’s like I’m not even surprised. It’s one thing after another.”
His Availability Will Depend On How Much Pain He Can Tolerate
“I’m going to do anything to try to be out there for my team, be out there on the floor,” said Morant. “It’s pretty much how much I can tolerate. If I feel like I can go out there and be somewhat myself, I’ll probably play. But if not, I don’t want to do anything to hurt the team.”
The Grizzlies know how to win without him, as they’ve gone 32-12 with Tyus Jones at PG dating back to last season. Still, let’s just hope we get to see all the best players on the court once they square off vs. the Lakers on Wednesday night.