A season-high four-game losing streak has the Memphis Grizzlies in shambles right now after their 17-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder last night. It was their third double-digit loss to the Thunder this season (two at home) and their eighth straight overall in the series, dating back to December 2022.
While losing to who many consider the best team in the NBA isn't the worst thing in the world, the Grizzlies losing non-competitive games against them while considering themselves a contender isn't good. Jaren Jackson Jr. missed only his third game of the season against the Thunder but they were missing Chet Holmgren for the matchup.
However, the biggest takeaway from the game resided with the Grizzlies' star point guard who made a revelation that causes concern for the Grizzlies' season.
"I should've been out, but I was out there" - Ja Morant
Ja Morant has missed 24 of the Grizzlies' 62 games this season, including their two losses to the San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks before their game against Oklahoma City. His latest setback was ruled as a deltoid contusion, which is a bruise in the muscle of his shoulder.
After missing the final 47 games last season due to surgery of a torn labrum in his shooting shoulder, Ja Morant suffered an AC joint sprain in the same shoulder in their December 27th game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Since that game, he has missed 12 games due to some soreness in his shoulder.
Since the Grizzlies returned from the NBA All-Star break, the Grizzlies' star has struggled with his shot, especially from three (6-41), and revealed that he shouldn't have played in their game against the Thunder due to the lingering shoulder issue. He also said he has been dealing with the injury for most of the season as evidenced by the games missed since initially suffering a hit to the shoulder area.
While the issues he has had with the shoulder this season have no relation to the torn labrum he had surgically repaired, the concern is real for a team that has fallen from the second seed to the fourth seed in one week. The Grizzlies need Ja Morant to be healthy and at his best to have any chance at contending for a championship, but his statement last night makes that future a little murky for this season.
There is no indication that the injury is something that he will have to deal with for the long run or even the rest of this season. However, with Jaren Jackson Jr. out on a week-to-week basis with an ankle sprain and Morant dealing with the shoulder issue, the Grizzlies are in dangerous territory as they only have a four-game cushion between being in the playoffs or a play-in scenario.