By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
After undergoing a season-ending shoulder injury last NBA campaign that halted his return, Memphis Grizzlies superstar Ja Morant is ready for another run after gracing the court during their preseason win over the Dallas Mavericks on October 8, 2024.
In just 18 minutes of action, the high-flying floor general stuffed the stat sheets and recorded 13 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and a block.
Most importantly, Morant’s fine play steered the Grizzlies to a 121-116 victory over the Mavericks that gave them their first win of the ongoing NBA preseason.
Morant played as if he never left, making four out of his nine field goal attempts but made it up with a perfect 5/5 shooting from the charity stripe.
He also made several highlight plays including a sweet alley-oop pass to their top lottery pick Zach Edey and a coast-to-coast chase-down block.
However, Morant’s NBA preseason debut wasn’t smooth when he left the floor in the second quarter with an ankle injury.
Morant looked fine and returned to playing for the Grizzlies again but for the second time, he left the floor and rushed to the locker room when he felt pain after a dunk.
Last season, Morant was already on track to lead Memphis to a cinderella run, playing nine games when the NBA lifted his suspension due to a series of off-court misconduct.
His goals were then deemed after he tore his labrum in his right shoulder and officially shut his season for good.
The controversial franchise player made headlines when he returned from a 25-game suspension last December and immediately made an impact when he led the Grizzlies to a huge win.
In all the nine games that Morant played, he averaged an All-Star stat-line of 25.1 points, 8.1 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per matchup.
