Ja Morant sprained his ankle during Tuesday’s loss to the Warriors, but the guard was able to complete that game and finished with 22 points, three rebounds and three assists across 35 minutes. After the game, Morant down played the injury and told the media “I’m playing [Friday]. That’s basically the answer I’m giving.” However, the guard is currently being considered a game-time decision, as the Grizzlies face the Mavericks.
While Morant gave a confident answer about his availability, he sat out practice Thursday with the ankle injury. That being said, this was likely a precautionary move to give Morant some extra rest ahead of Friday’s do-or-die matchup. The guard may carry a questionable tag once Memphis submits their injury report, but it’s hard to imagine Morant sitting, all things considered.
Morant has had an up-and-down season, but is still averaging 23.2 points, 7.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 30.4 minutes per game with a 32.2% usage rate. Also, since the Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins a few weeks ago, Morant has looked revitalized, with three performances of over 30 points in his eight starts since the coaching change.
If Morant was surprisingly inactive Friday, Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Scotty Pippen Jr. would all see expanded roles, and Santi Aldama or Vince Williams Jr. would likely enter the Grizzlies’ starting lineup. With Morant off the floor this season, Jackson Jr. sees the largest usage increase with his usage rate rising 4.3 percentage points to 32.7%.
The Grizzlies are 18-14 with Morant inactive this season, but they are only 4-6 since firing Jenkins. Still, with homecourt advantage for Friday’s Play-In matchup, Memphis is a 6.5-point favorite over the Mavericks on DraftKings Sportsbook.
