Ja Morant Sprains Left Ankle, Week-to-Week

Ja Morant sprained his left ankle in practice and is listed week-to-week, ruling him out of the preseason opener and leaving his availability for the Oct. 22 season opener against New Orleans in doubt. The injury compounds an early-season health crisis in Memphis — Jaren Jackson Jr., Zach Edey and Brandon Clarke are already sidelined — and follows the team's offseason trade of Desmond Bane. Durability concerns have dogged Morant: he played 50 games in 2024-25 and missed 59 games combined over the past two seasons. With new head coach Tuomas Iisalo in place, the Grizzlies may need reserves such as Scotty Pippen Jr. and Ty Jerome to provide playmaking and scoring while Morant recovers, leaving Memphis’s early-season outlook uncertain.