Morant returns from injury ahead of schedule, leads Grizzlues to win

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When Ja Morant sprained his left ankle on Dec. 28, the Memphis Grizzlies were told he would be out three to five weeks.

Morant, the former Crestwood High School standout, made it back in less than three weeks, 19 days to be exact. And he didn’t appear to have skipped a beat.

The reigning NBA rookie of the year scored 17 points and dished out six assists in Memphis’ 106-104 home victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.

"It felt good, starting with just being able to get back out there on the floor after being out almost three weeks," said Morant, who missed eight games due to the injury. "I was really just itching to get back out there.

“I had to be smart. I just locked into my treatment/therapy sessions and I was there for my guys. For me to be able to come back, defend home court and get a win was big for me and also our team.”

It was announced just a while before the game on Saturday that Morant would play. He started the contest and played 30 minutes, which tied for the team high. He led in scoring, going 7-for-14 from the floor and was 3-for-4 from the free throw line. He was one of seven Grizzlies to score in double figures.

In a story by Joshua Vinson of Memphis television station WREG, Morant said he held close to his faith to get through the injury.

“I leaned on God,” Morant said following the game. “I feel like everything happens for a reason.”

Morant posted many Bible scriptures and inspirational posts while being sidelined. Morant said he received a lot of support from fellow National Basketball Association players.

“I had some players here in this league send me texts when I got hurt,” Morant said. “All that, I felt like helped me a lot. But as far as me realizing how mentally strong I am, I feel like that was big, especially being out. I look at it. I’m not even going to say it, because I might get emotional here. It is finally good to be back out there.”

Morant didn’t enjoy being sidelined initially and never did adjust to it. However, he did go about making the best of the situation that he could.

“So after that, I was just frustrated, but these are my guys,” Morant said. “I’m very confident in them. Anything I can do to help, I’ll do for them. That was me being on the sidelines, just telling everybody what I see out there on the floor from the side.

“I also got to see  what our coaches see. Sometimes when you’re out there, you don’t see those things, so I feel like that helped me a lot. Now I feel even better being able to be back out there.”

Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins said it was easy to see Morant’s focus even while sidelined.

"He's super locked-in on the sidelines, coaching from the sidelines," Jenkins said. "So, we know his mind's locked in. What he's doing with his body to get back healthy, it's been really impressive."

With four games under his belt, Morant is now averaging 24.0 points, 6.3 assists and 1.8 rebounds a game. Morant scored 44 points in the season opener. He played just 12 minutes against the Nets when he suffered the injury, scoring seven points.

The Grizzlies played a late afternoon game against Phoenix on Monday.