Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant has a Grade 1 right calf strain and will be reevaluated in two weeks, the team’s PR department tweets.
Morant injured his calf on Saturday during the team’s road game at Cleveland. He played just six minutes in that contest, then underwent an MRI to determine the extent of the injury.
It’s just the latest development in what has already been a tumultuous season for Morant. He had been dealing with right ankle soreness prior to the calf strain.
Trade speculation surrounding Morant began a couple of weeks ago after he had a disagreement with the coaching staff during a loss to the Lakers. Head coach Tuomas Iisalo reportedly confronted Morant about his effort level and focus during halftime and following the game, and Morant expressed frustration over Iisalo’s unorthodox substitution pattern.
The situation has been calmer since Morant returned from a one-game team suspension. The Timberwolves are one of the teams reportedly keeping an eye on Morant, who is in the third season of a five-year extension worth $197.2MM. He’s averaging 17.9 points, his lowest output since his rookie year, and 7.6 assists.
Morant has gained a reputation of being susceptible to injuries. He hasn’t appeared in more than 61 games in any of the past four seasons. He served an NBA suspension to open the 2023/24 campaign, then appeared in only nine games before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. He was limited to 50 games last season.
Given the timeline of his last injury, Morant will miss a minimum of eight games, beginning with a nationally televised game against San Antonio on Tuesday.
Translation- I can’t do whatever I want anymore so I’ll come up with a bunch of injuries that really can’t be proven so I’ll show them.
So many calf strains! Hamstring/calf/achilles are all in a row and there are a lot stars out with damage to these ligaments. They take a long time to heal and are subject to more serious damage if not rested. For example Halliburton and Durant both going in playoffs and suffering Achilles damage.
Hamstrings have always been commonly strained in bball , unavoidable to a degree. But yes the calves have seemingly upticked, and the Achilles by consequence .
I 100% think the lack of high tops have something to do with this — Garyredsox brought up shoe inserts as well.
Also probably something to do with the pace and space increases without a corresponding ease of the schedule. If this isn’t addressed I don’t think it’s going away anytime soon.
Whatever happened to hi-top shoes anyway? Jaylen Brown came into the league repping Dee Brown with the hi-top hair. Now that he’s bald he can honor Tatum by wearing hi-top sneakers which might’ve kept his calf healthy
Tatum had a known calf injury before the Achilles tear as well.
High tops limit movement and transfer stress to knees. I think the shoes are vastly superior to what they had even just 10 years ago. The problem is too many games and athletic freaks that put max stress on their orthopedic systems. These guys are amazing athletes but most human bodies can only handle so much stress.
As a lifetime player, I disagree. High tops limit injuries, period. IMO it’s weird almost no players use them.
Are you also an “athletic freak” like the original poster was referring to when talking about the amount of stress on certain parts of the body?
He’s a lifetime player. Clearly he knows more than the professionals.
Rebuild teams with superstars
Grizzlies
Mavs
Kings
Pelicans
Suns would fight for playoffs
You do know basketball players get their ankles taped. They don’t need to wear high tops. These injuries calf strains and hamstrings. Are all about pushing yourself. When your body is not ready. If you are not in real game shape. You shouldn’t be playing major mins. Or pushing and straining your muscles. Players not coming into camp in shape. You are suppose to be in shape for training camp. Then use training camp to get into game shape. Even then it still takes another 10-15 games to get into real game shape. Bunch of Wuzzis if you ask me.
120 players avg 34 mins or more for their careers. With Wilt leading the way with 45.8 a game.
No Typo thats right ……. Real Ballers …..
link to basketball-reference.com
Memphis front office: phewwwww