Memphis Grizzlies: What happens if Ja Morant is out for an extended period of time?

Option No. 3: The nuclear option of Morant is unavailable for a long period of time (or the whole season)

The option few people want to read, hear or even think about is the tank option. If Morant ever gets injured to the point of being out for a whole season, the team may choose to go into “developmental” mode.

This would involve the coach playing guys who typically only see action during garbage time. The team could favor playing guys like Jarrett Culver, Santi Aldama, and Killian Tillie more frequently.

The team would probably lose more games, but their young prospects could see increased playing time to develop and grow.

Of course, the direct consequence of going the developmental route would be losing more games. By losing more games, the team would have a higher chance of landing a top draft pick.

With a class featuring the likes of Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgreen and Duke’s Paolo Banchero, increasing the chances of landing a high draft pick may not be such a bad thing.

This is obviously the worst-case scenario and one we hope is not ever the case for the Grizzlies, as it means Morant would probably be lost for the entire season.