A 4-10 record stares at the Memphis Grizzlies following their loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on November 15th. The team received promising news before tipoff as starting center Zach Edey was set to make his season debut after missing the first 13 games due to offseason ankle surgery.
With that came a switch to what figured to be the Grizzlies' likely starting lineup going forward, with rookie wing Cedric Coward making his first start along with Edey, Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Jaylen Wells. However, Ja Morant left the game midway through the first quarter with a calf injury and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
The new-look starting lineup looked good early, gaining a 15-11 lead before coach Tuomas Iisalo's first substitutions. Now the Grizzlies await an injury update on their star guard, which could officially place the team at a serious disadvantage at one of its strongest position groups.
The Grizzlies have no healthy point guards
November 17th officially marks the fourth week mark for the team to re-evaluate newcomer Ty Jerome's high-grade calf strain, which he suffered in the Grizzlies' final preseason game. Ironically, Ja Morant just potentially sustained a similar injury in the same quarter (first quarter) as Jerome, but he will be evaluated when the team lands back in Memphis.
As they await news on Morant's and Jerome's calf injuries, the team could be without an active point guard when they travel to take on the San Antonio Spurs on November 18th. Scotty Pippen Jr. remains out until at least January 13th, when he is set to be re-evaluated for the sesamoidectomy surgery he had on his big toe on October 21st.
When looking past their primary rotation of guards, the team also announced that rookie two-way point guard Javon Small sustained a turf toe injury in an NBA G League game with the Memphis Hustle on November 15th. He will be re-evaluated in three weeks.
With a 4-10 record, no open roster space, and no point guard who is 100% healthy, the Grizzlies' hope of climbing out of their early-season hole appears dimmer. This is a team that's had injuries impact its season nearly every year since Ja Morant arrived in 2019, even including their most successful runs in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
There is no clear reason why the Grizzlies can't have any injury luck, but it is something that continues to halt their progress. As the team awaits injury updates on its top two point guards, the hope is that they receive positive news as they can't afford to dig themselves in a deeper hole to climb out of.