Ja Morant, the athletic point guard out of Murray State, is going to be drafted No. 2 by the Memphis Grizzlies, becoming part of their core for the future with Jaren Jackson Jr.
This news isn’t going to change that.
But Morant is going to have his knee scoped, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
ESPN Sources: Point guard Ja Morant — the projected No. 2 pick in the June NBA Draft — will undergo a minor scope on his right knee to remove a “loose body” on Monday. He’s expected to be fully recovered in 3-to-4 weeks.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 1, 2019
This is a pretty routine surgery and should not impact him long term.
Short term, he may not play in Summer League games. Memphis will be at the Salt Lake City Summer League July 1-3, then head to Las Vegas for the NBA’s official Summer League starting July 5. He could be healed in time to play, but the Grizzlies shouldn’t (and I imagine wouldn’t) push him back just for those games.
Morant is an explosive athlete, and that combined with an impressive handle allows him to get to the rim. He had to think score first at Murray State, but he also has fantastic court vision and he knows how to make every pass you can think of. His jumper needs work so he doesn’t become another point guard teams just go under the pick against, but he has the second highest ceiling in the draft.