Why Is Ja Morant Not Playing? Update on Grizzlies Star’s Severe Shoulder Injury

Prateek Singh | 03/02/2025
Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) dribbles up court during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Madison Square Garden.

Ja Morant missed his second straight game for the Memphis Grizzlies. The 25-year-old has been struggling with a serious shoulder injury for a while. He was seen on the sidelines during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum.

As per Jorge Sedano, the point guard doesn’t have full mobility in his right shoulder. He was also featured on the team’s injury report with a ‘Doubtful’ status. Fans were expecting him to lace up for the team as the Grizzlies have great momentum going on.

They have won eight of their last 10 games and are the number three ranked team in the West with a 32-16 record. However, as per an ESPN report, Morant’s shoulder injury is a concern for the franchise. The 25-year-old is having difficulties lifting his right shoulder above the shoulder level.

The Grizzlies have a game tomorrow as well where they will play the San Antonio Spurs at home. With an injury this severe, it’s unlikely that Morant will be available for the Spurs game. A silver lining for the organization and the fans in this situation is that the Grizzlies haven’t struggled a lot in Morant’s absence.

They have a 14-7 winning record without Morant in this season. A player of his caliber missing 21 games could’ve had an adverse effect on the team, but they have managed to do well without him. The star player picked up the injury during practice on Wednesday. Coach Taylor Jenkins believed that it was a “short-term” injury.

However, if he misses tomorrow’s game, that’d be his third missed game in a row and a total of 22 for the season so far. Damichael Cole had an opportunity to ask Jenkins about Morant’s injury last month. The coach said, “He’s working his way back. I think his intensity has been there every single game. We just got to get him going. That’s on me to jumpstart him. I know he and I have had great conversations.”

The coach showed faith in Morant’s ability to bounce back from this minor hurdle. That’s what the fans would be expecting as well. Even if Morant can’t make it back in time for the next game, the Grizzlies would be pumped after beating the Bucks 132-119 on the road.

Post Edited By: Satagni Sikder
Ja Morant

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Prateek Singh

Prateek is a Senior NBA Writer for The SportsRush. He has over 900 published articles under his name. Prateek merged his passion for writing and his love for the sport of basketball to make a career out of it. Other than basketball, he is also an ardent follower of the UFC and soccer. Apart from the world of sports, he has followed hip-hop religiously and often writes about the origins, evolution, and the biggest stars of the music genre.

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