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Ja Morant's season-ending shoulder injury comes as a massive blow for the Memphis Grizzlies. The 24-year-old, who returned after serving a 25-game suspension, played just nine games this season, averaging 25.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 8.1 assists.
Following his injury, a tweet went viral that suggested former Boston Celtics star Isaiah Thomas had been signed by the Grizzlies to replace Morant. This created quite a buzz on social media.
To clear up, Thomas has not been signed by the Grizzlies. The tweet was from a fan page named after ESPN and NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski.
As for Isaiah Thomas, the 34-year-old last played in the 2021-22 season. In 17 games with the Hornets, Thomas averaged 8.3 points on 43.3% shooting and 39.7% shooting from 3-point range.
A journeyman in the NBA, Thomas plied his trade for the Sacramento Kings, Phoenix Suns, Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, LA Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, and the Dallas Mavericks. His career averages read 17.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists from 550 games.
What's next for Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies?
The Memphis Grizzlies responded strongly in the absence of Ja Morant. After announcing his season-ending injury, they torched the Mavericks 120-103 on Tuesday. Desmond Bane led the way with 32 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists. Marcus Smart continued his impressive run with 23 points and 4 rebounds. Xavier Tillman was a major rebounding presence with 14 points and 11 boards.
Their defense rose to the occasion as they held Dallas back with only Kyrie Irving (33 points) and Luka Doncic (31 points) making an impact.
At 14-23, there is still plenty of work to be done for the Grizzlies to be play-in contenders.
While Bane and reigning DPOY Jaren Jackson Jr. are having career-best seasons, Memphis needs more support outside of these two if it wants to push for a play-in slot.
Guess the Lakers players!
