Ja Morant appeared in only 50 regular season games this season for the Memphis Grizzlies. At one point in late February, the Grizzlies were fighting for the second seed with the Houston Rockets. But then injuries got in the way and the team fell down to the play-in. Ja Morant believes that if injuries didn’t get in the way, the team could have had a much more successful season.
Ja Morant Figured Out the Thunder, But Injuries Got in the Way
Speaking one day after the Oklahoma City Thunder eliminated the Grizzlies, Morant talked about his confidence in the series against the Thunder. According to Damichael Cole, a Memphis beat reporter, Ja said,
“I had them figured out.”
Ja Morant paused because he wanted to be careful with his words, but he clearly had more to say when asked about how the OKC series turned out.
“I had them figured out.”
Added that he believes the series would be tied 2-2 headed back to OKC if he didn’t get hurt.
— Damichael Cole (@DamichaelC) April 27, 2025
He previously paused, wanting to be careful with his words. But Cole says Morant clearly had more to say when asked how the OKC series turned out. He later added that he believes the series would be tied 2-2 heading back to OKC if he didn’t get hurt.
But it seems like that is the story with Morant in the past few seasons. He just cannot stay healthy for a full season plus the playoffs.
Ja Morant’s Health
In the same end-of-season interview, Ja also talked about his health during the season. He said,
“I feel like every injury I had this year was out of my control. Outside of those injuries, I feel like I had one of my healthiest seasons.”
Ja Morant: “I feel like every injury I had this year was out of my control.”
“Outside of those injuries, I feel like I had one of my healthiest seasons.”
Added that he didn’t have any knee or back pain like recent seasons.
— Damichael Cole (@DamichaelC) April 27, 2025
Ja did try to prioritize health this season. At the beginning of the season, he talked about how he wants to avoid dunking and highlight plays because they pose a higher risk of injury.
Can Ja Morant and the Grizzlies Beat the Thunder?
For what it’s worth, the Grizzlies had a 26-point lead in Game 3 before Ja went down with an injury. In Game 4, the Grizzlies gave all they had, but they missed Morant in the final quarter. In Game 3, Morant was the only starter with a positive plus-minus at +16. Once he went down with an injury, the game completely changed.
On the flip side, the Thunder have a nine-game winning streak against the Grizzlies, and that doesn’t include the 4-0 sweep in the playoffs this year. The last time the Grizzlies won was in December 2022. Since then, the Thunder have dominated the series.
What is Next for Ja and Grizzlies?
The Grizzlies clearly wanted to improve their team this year. Despite being among the top-four seeds at the deadline, they tried to trade for Jimmy Butler and Cam Johnson. They were also in talks with the Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith before he got traded to the Lakers.
Morant and the Grizzlies can say that their core of him, Desmond Bane, and Jaren Jackson Jr is good enough to win. They just need better complementary pieces. The team finished sixth in offensive rating, and 11th in defensive rating. Usually, teams finishing in the top 10 in both offensive and defensive ratings compete for a championship.
They had a relatively healthy season aside from the injuries to Morant. This year, they also developed two key pieces in Scotty Pippen Jr and Jaylen Wells. The offseason will be huge for Memphis, as they have to try to re-sign Santi Aldama. Right now, they have $136 million in salary, which puts them under the cap. Depending on what they do with Aldama, they might not have anything more than the tax mid-level to offer to other free agents.
Photo credit: © Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
