Grizzlies To Proceed With Caution For Ja Morant In Season Opener vs Pelicans

The Memphis Grizzlies will proceed with caution on opening night regarding Ja Morant's minutes versus the New Orleans Pelicans

Grizzlies' Ja Morant (12) congratulates Lawson Lovering (34) after he took part in the skills challenge during open practice at the FedExForum on October 4, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. | Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Memphis Grizzlies begin their 2025-26 season at home against the Memphis Grizzlies, the first of a three-game home stand to start the year. It's less than ideal circumstances for Memphis, though, who enter the season with a myriad of injuries accumulated over the offseason. The Grizzlies are no strangers to injuries, but that doesn't make things any better.

Luckily, the team will have both of its All-Stars in Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ja Morant, hoping to overcome the lack of depth. However, Morant didn't see any time during the preseason, and the Grizzlies will reflect that with how they handle their season opener.

Tuomas Iisalo Makes Ja Morant Decision

Tuomas Iisalo is here.

- when asked about what will be different this season with his team, he mentioned how his offense isn’t a single action offense. Won’t be overly reliant on two-man game.

- Ja Morant isn’t full strength w/conditioning, but he knows Ja will play hard pic.twitter.com/OjmPDUO957

— Damichael Cole (@DamichaelC) October 22, 2025

According to The Commercial Appeal's Damichael Cole, head coach Tuomas Iisalo informed the media that Morant still isn't at full strength when it comes to conditioning, but acknowledged he still expects the star guard to play hard.

Based upon that, it appears as though Memphis will be strategic with their usage of Morant, sitting him when necessary to ensure they don't overdo him. But with Morant expressing ahead of the season that he wants to play 82 games, it seems as though the former All-Star will be doing whatever he can to put his team in a position to succeed.

Ja Morant officially debuts the Nike Ja 3 “Scratch 3.0” 🐻 @JaMorant pic.twitter.com/yTRmPuIhe6

— JustFreshKicks (@JustFreshKicks) October 23, 2025

It's also not just Morant's lack of preseason availability, but the team's understanding that he's only played in 59 games over the last two seasons. While some of those missed games came from suspension, the fact of the matter is, he hasn't been on the court as much as he or Memphis would want.

Ja Morant's Current Situation With Memphis

JA MORANT WITH THE MOVES. 🔥

pic.twitter.com/6aAQJf02KY

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 23, 2025

Looking at Morant's future in Memphis, he's currently in the third year of his five-year, $197 million rookie max extension with the Grizzlies. Those first two years haven't been ideal, given his lack of availability, but with the league salary cap on the rise, he'll take over less of the team's cap space in the coming seasons.

Jackson Jr. was recently extended by Memphis to keep him there through the 2029-30 if he accepts the $53.5 million player option. There's a lot to figure out in Memphis before Morant's contract is up, and the team could very well decide to pivot in a different direction if they aren't trending in the right direction, similar to the Desmond Bane move.

Regardless, the present is what matters, as the Grizzlies look to take care of business in Game 1 vs the Pelicans.