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Tim MacMahon, ESPN Staff Writer
DALLAS — Injured superstar Ja Morant spoke up during the Memphis Grizzlies‘ emotional team meeting Tuesday morning in the wake of the news that he needs season-ending surgery on his right shoulder.
The gist of Morant’s message to his Memphis teammates?
“Stay locked in and keep grinding,” Grizzlies shooting guard Desmond Bane told ESPN before Tuesday night’s road game against the Dallas Mavericks.
The undermanned Grizzlies responded with a 120-103 win over the Mavs that coach Taylor Jenkins called “one of the most impressive team wins of the season.” Memphis put the finishing touches on a 3-0 road trip despite also missing All-Star power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (right knee contusion) and losing starting guard Marcus Smart to a dislocated right ring finger in the third quarter, an injury that will be evaluated when the Grizzlies return home Wednesday.
“We have nothing to lose,” said Smart, who scored 23 points before his early exit. “Especially without Ja, everybody’s counting us out. Everybody’s expecting us to just lay down and quit, and that’s not what this team is about and not in our heart.”
Morant attended the game at the American Airlines Center, sitting on the Grizzlies’ bench with his right arm in a sling, but did not speak to the media. He animatedly cheered, barked out coaching points and celebrated with his teammates throughout the win.
“Ja’s always going to be positive,” Bane said after leading the Grizzlies with 32 points. “He’s one of our brothers, and we love him to death. He’s a big part of this thing, whether he’s playing or not.”
Before the game, Jenkins described the Grizzlies as “gutted” and “devastated” for Morant, who played only nine games this season after being suspended for the first 25 games. The Grizzlies learned soon after their flight landed in Dallas on Monday evening that an MRI on Morant’s shoulder revealed an underlying labral tear that would require surgery.
Morant, in consultation with the Grizzlies’ medical staff, is in the process of selecting the surgeon who will perform the operation.
Morant traveled and practiced with the team while serving his suspension, which was handed down by NBA commissioner Adam Silver after the two-time All-Star brandished a firearm during an Instagram Live video for the second time in a span of two months. While Morant will not be able to do basketball activities the remainder of the season, Jenkins said the hope was that he would continue to travel with the team once medically cleared to do so following surgery.
“Everyone just feels for Ja,” Jenkins said. “I mean, they know how much work he’s been putting in this season, obviously what he’s done since he’s come back just within the last couple of weeks. But these guys really care for each other and they really care for Ja, and obviously they know how much he cares for them and how he showed so much support even when he was out the first 25 games. But we just kept talking about, ‘Hey, we’re going to be there for you. You got to be there for us.'”
Morant’s teammates and Memphis staff members vowed to support Morant throughout his recovery from the surgery.
“Just be his brother,” Jackson told ESPN. “There’s no science to it. Just be there for him. He’s got a great support system around him. His circle’s tight, so he’s going to be great.”
Added Bane: “We’re wrapping our arms around him. We’re here for him.”
The Grizzlies got off to a 6-19 start during Morant’s suspension. He returned with a spectacular 34-point performance to lead a comeback road win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Dec. 19, capping the rally with the first game-winning buzzer-beater of his career, and averaged 25.1 points and 8.1 assists in the nine games he played. Memphis went 6-3 with Morant in the lineup.
Morant suffered a subluxation of his shoulder during a Saturday workout and sat out Sunday’s road win over the Phoenix Suns. Following ongoing soreness and instability, Morant underwent the MRI that revealed the labral tear, a massive blow to Memphis’ hopes of salvaging the season.
“We’re going to fight. That’s all we can do,” Smart said. “That’s what we know. We’re going to fight until we can’t fight no more. And that’s all you can ask — for you fight to the end, because we understood that coming into the season the odds against us and things have affected our team. We understood that this might not be a year where everything is expected of us, but it’s a year for us to damn well get right for next year as well.”
Source: www.espn.com