Grizzlies guard Ja Morant left Memphis’ 132-100 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night in the first quarter with a left knee injury. Morant didn’t return to the contest, and afterwards he underwent testing that revealed a knee sprain, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. There is not yet a timeline for a return, though there is relief around the organization that the injury isn’t something more serious. Morant will undergo further testing in the coming days, and more will be learned about the severity of the injury at that point.
The injury occurred while Morant was dribbling the ball outside of the paint, and it didn’t appear to be the result of contact. Morant limped off of the court and was helped back to the locker room. You can see the play where the injury occurred below:
After the game, Morant took to Twitter and posted a message that reads: “It’s in God’s hands now. All we can do is pray.”
We will find out more about Morant’s status in the near future, but the fact that nothing is torn is a solid sign. Morant, 22, has established himself as one of the NBA‘s most promising young stars. On the season, he’s averaging 25.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists in 33.9 minutes for the Grizzlies, who currently sit ninth in the Western Conference standings with a 9-10 record. All of those numbers represent career highs for Morant. Memphis will now be tasked with remaining competitive in a deep conference until Morant can return to action.
