What Does Ja Morant's Injury Mean for Memphis Grizzlies' Draft Pick?

With Ja Morant sidelined for the first 25 games of the season due to a suspension, the Memphis Grizzlies struggled tremendously, going 6-19 in his absence. Upon his return, Memphis went 6-3 with him in the lineup and looked like a team that could slowly claw its way back into the postseason picture.

With that in mind, that is now very unlikely to be the case.

As announced by the Grizzlies on Monday night, Morant will miss the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury.

Morant suffered a subluxation of his right shoulder during a training session on Saturday, causing him to miss Sunday's game against the Phoenix Suns. Following an MRI, it was determined that a labral tear was the diagnosis and will require him to undergo season-ending surgery.

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— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) January 9, 2024

Given the fact that Memphis was one of the worst teams in the NBA without Morant to start the season — combined with the fact that the Grizzlies are currently 10 games below .500 — the 2024 NBA Draft is what the franchise will be focused on longer term. It's highly unlikely this team as currently constructed can make a push in the last few months of the season, and being a buyer at the trade deadline would be shortsighted.

Luckily for the Grizzlies, they own their pick in this June's draft. Based on current league standings, Memphis would have the sixth-highest odds in the lottery. While this isn't a draft class that is projected to have a generational talent at the top, it's still a great opportunity for the Grizzlies to add another quality piece to an already young, promising roster.

Furthermore, this could also be a situation in which the Grizzlies land a high draft pick and trade it for win-now talent and really make a push in the 2024-25 season when Morant returns.

Either way, the season-ending injury of the franchise superstar fundamentally changes the team's strategy for the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign. While the Grizzlies likely won't lose out on purpose, they should naturally end up on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs and have great odds at a top-10 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

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