The Memphis Grizzlies have officially listed Ja Morant as questionable ahead of tonight’s win-or-go-home showdown against the Dallas Mavericks. Morant injured his right ankle in Tuesday’s play-in game against the Golden State Warriors, stepping awkwardly on Buddy Hield’s foot before being fouled by Quinten Post with 4:25 left in the third quarter. He managed to take one free throw before heading to the bench to be evaluated by team medical staff.
After the game, Morant didn’t leave much room for speculation.
“I'm playing. That's the answer I'm giving. Ain’t nothing different.”
And while that’s the kind of attitude fans love to hear, the reality is: Morant likely won’t be anywhere near 100 percent. Ankle injuries — especially ones with limited recovery time — can linger, slow down explosiveness, and change how a player moves in crunch time. We already saw a glimpse of it Tuesday: Morant was visibly limited in the fourth quarter, scoring just four points and throwing a few costly passes late.
Still, even a hobbled Ja Morant is a necessity for a Grizzlies team dealing with major shifts just days before the postseason. Memphis stunned the league when it fired head coach Taylor Jenkins with only nine games left in the regular season, handing the reins to interim coach Tuomas Iisalo. The timing raised eyebrows — not just for the abruptness, but for the message it sent to the locker room: change is here, and no one’s immune.
Why now? Why not wait until the offseason to reset?
Maybe the front office thought it could shake the roster into urgency by removing Jenkins. Maybe they saw the team drifting through the standings and wanted to jolt them into playoff form. But it backfired. The chemistry slipped, the identity blurred, and the team finished limping into the play-in rather than surging. And now, they're one loss away from it all falling apart.
This isn’t just about one game for the Memphis Grizzlies — it’s about a franchise at a crossroads
The Grizzlies have built a young, promising core. Morant (25), Jaren Jackson Jr. (25), Desmond Bane (26), and rookie Zach Edey (22) are all pieces that could, with the right guidance, grow into contenders. Since Morant was drafted in 2019, they’ve made the playoffs three times in five years but haven’t gotten past the second round. The talent is there. The playoff pedigree is not.
That’s why tonight’s matchup carries more weight than just postseason advancement. A loss to the Mavericks doesn’t just end their season — it could trigger a reckoning. Is this core truly built to win? Or will Memphis become another “what-if” team, one great player away from figuring it out, until the clock runs out?
If Morant suits up — and all signs point to him doing just that — it won’t just be about scoring or highlights. It’ll be about leadership. About pushing through pain. About keeping this version of the Grizzlies alive for at least one more game, one more run.
Because if they lose tonight, it won’t just be the end of their season. It might be the end of this Grizzlies era.