Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant appeared to have suffered a devastating knee injury on Friday, but a recent test revealed Morant only suffered a knee sprain.
Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said the team expects their star to be out for only “a couple of weeks.”
Speaking on Sunday ahead of their game against the Sacramento Kings, Jenkins said Morant avoided any tears or ligament damage and just has to deal with a sprain.
“We’re so thankful we avoided a significant injury,” Jenkins said, via the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “We expect a full recovery, and this is nothing long-term that we’re worried about.”
Morant left during the loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter after he appeared to plant his left leg wrong.
He was driving to the lane from the wing but pulled back out after tweaking the knee without making contact with anyone.
Morant hopped around trying to pass the ball and then hopped to the baseline and sat down.
He was eventually helped off the court and didn’t put much weight on the knee.
Ja Morant exited the game after an apparent leg injury
Hope he's OK 🙏 pic.twitter.com/M8Za8KST9x
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 27, 2021
The Grizzlies quickly ruled him out of the game and said afterward that he had suffered only a knee sprain — clearly a good sign.
Morant was averaging a career-high 25.3 points and 7.1 assists before getting injured on Friday night.
Though the Grizzlies didn’t give a timeline for Morant’s return, Jenkins had no doubt the 22-year-old would be back on the court quickly.
“It’s a credit to him that when he’s had injuries in the past, he really dives into the process of getting back healthy in his return to play,” Jenkins said, via the Commercial Appeal. “We’re in full communication that this is what we got to do off the court, on the court to get you back, and he doesn’t skip a beat.”