Ja Morant to be re-evaluated in two weeks [UPDATE]

Update, March 24 — Morant will be re-evaluated in two weeks, per coach Taylor Jenkins. Morant was already ruled out for Thursday night’s game vs. the Indiana Pacers. The Grizzlies are being cautious with Morant moving toward the end of the regular season. It’s important Morant is healthy and ready to go for the playoffs, a place Memphis has gone to just once in the past four seasons.

The Grizz are currently in second place in the West, 2.0 games up on the Warriors. There’s no way anyone is catching the Suns in first place, so the Grizzlies don’t really have too much to play for. There’s an outside shot someone could overtake them for home court advantage in the first round. The matchups aren’t all that different as the 2- or 3-seed in the West.

Memphis Grizzlies PG Ja Morant remains sidelined on Wednesday vs. the Brooklyn Nets due to knee soreness. Coach Taylor Jenkins said Morant was able to do a few drills at practice Tuesday and is still day-to-day.

Morant hasn’t played since March 18 after popping up on the injury report with the knee issue. He missed an easy win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday but will remain out against the Nets, which could be a tougher task for Memphis. With Morant out, the Grizz will have to lean on others to pick up the scoring.

With Ja sidelined, Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks will be the primary scorers for Memphis. Tyus Jones will start at PG and De’Anthony Melton will get more run off the bench in the back court.

The Nets are on the road, so they’ll be able to use Kyrie Irving at PG. That makes a big difference. If the Grizzlies were playing in Brooklyn, we’d think about getting a favorable line with Irving sidelined and Morant still out. The Grizzlies are still a very competitive team without Morant on the floor. This may be an opportunity to take advantage of some props for Kevin Durant and Irving. It’s also worth looking at props for Bane and Brooks in what should be a high-scoring environment.