Ja Morant was in street clothes, his arm in a sling for the Grizzlies’ win Sunday over the Suns with a shoulder injury that was listed as day-to-day — it turns out it was much worse than that.
Morant will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery in the coming days, the Grizzlies announced Monday.
The @memgrizz announced the following medical update: pic.twitter.com/Cr7xKj1Wm4
— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) January 9, 2024
This is a punch to the gut for the Grizzlies, who had gotten nine games from Morant after he served a 25-game suspension for waving a gun on social media. The Grizzlies went 6-19 with Morant out but were 6-3 in the games he played and making a push for a play-in spot. That now seems a long shot.
A subluxation means Morant’s shoulder quickly slid in and out of the socket, a sort of quick dislocation. A subluxation can lead to a labral tear, which is a tear of the cup of cartilage that supports the shoulder ball-and-socket joint.
The Grizzlies are already without center Steven Adams for the season (right knee surgery) and are currently without backup center Brandon Clarke, who is still recovering from a torn Achilles.
