Coy Ja Morant Offers Concerning Injury Comments

The Memphis Grizzlies are 38-24, fourth in the Western Conference standings. Though they’ve yet to officially clinch a postseason berth but barring a catastrophic collapse, they should be preparing for their fourth playoff run in the last five years. The only problem is that, no matter what, they’ll be doing it with a franchise star who isn’t fully healthy.

Coy Ja Morant Offers Concerning Injury Comments

Though Ja Morant is still regarded as one of the NBA’s preeminent talents, he’s dealing with a shoulder injury that appears to be impacting his game. In fact, following Wednesday’s loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the two-time All-Star told reporters that he “should’ve been out” after missing their previous two games (h/t Action News 5 reporter Matt Infield).

“I’ve played like this all season, honestly… Gotta get the win.”

Ja Morant makes it abundantly clear his shoulder isn’t fully healthy:

“I should’ve been out, but I was out there.”

“I’ve played like this all season honestly, but is what it is.”

“I don’t know (if he’s gonna have to deal with it all season).”

Full comments ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/39WHFBn2H0

— Matt Infield (@Matt_Infield) March 6, 2025

Asked if he expects to continue dealing with his injury, Morant was coy.

“I don’t know,” he deadpans.

Shut Him Down?

With that, those who have been observing the Grizzlies likely had their suspicions confirmed. After all, Morant isn’t just posting his lowest scoring average (20.9 points per game) since 2020-21. He’s not just averaging a career-high in turnovers (3.9 per game). He’s not just shooting a career-low from the field (43.1 percent). The former second overall pick is doing all of this.

What happened to Ja Morant😭 pic.twitter.com/K8mZFJW92P

— Hoops (@HoopMixOnly) March 6, 2025

If players usually saw a steep decline in their performance at the age of 25, there wouldn’t be much concern. However, it’s been clear for a while that Morant’s been off this season. One has to wonder whether they shouldn’t shut him down, giving him time to rest his ailing shoulder. Just consider that the injury (subluxation and instability) was so serious that it required season-ending surgery when initially diagnosed.

The @memgrizz announced the following medical update: pic.twitter.com/Cr7xKj1Wm4

— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) January 9, 2024

Why not avoid going down the path of Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid or Dallas Mavericks forward-center Anthony Davis? Both big men attempted to play through injuries and only exacerbated the problem.

Of course, Morant still isn’t the only guy who’s hurt. Sixers swingman Paul George and San Antonio Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox are two other stars putting their pain tolerance to the test. Nevertheless, given his age and how central he’s been to their success, there’s plenty of reason to exercise caution.

An Unfortunate Reality

In the end, the Grizzlies likely will keep rolling Morant out there unless they deem him medically unfit to play. To that point, there’s obviously a difference between being medically cleared and being completely healthy. To the Grizzlies, what matters is that Morant is good enough to go.

Honestly, Memphis can’t be faulted for wanting to have Morant available though. They’re simply a better team with him and they have a legitimate chance to reach the NBA Finals. He’s also been outstanding in the playoffs, averaging 27.3 points and 8.6 assists per contest (19 games).

It’s unfortunate, perhaps even unethical, but it’s the reality of how teams think.