Chandler Parsons recently voiced his concern about the trajectory of Ja Morant’s career, as the two-time NBA All-Star suffered yet another injury. The former Memphis Grizzlies swingman believes Morant’s best basketball may already be behind him.
Morant is out for at least two weeks due to the right calf strain he sustained in the Memphis Grizzlies’ 108-100 loss against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. The team is fresh from a 111-101 defeat against the San Antonio Spurs yesterday.
“I think just the way the game has shifted in general,” Parsons said on Run It Back. “I’m not even talking about any of the distractions or outside noise he’s been through. Any of that stuff. I think just the way the game has shifted and the way he plays, his athleticism. Once he loses that, and shooting has never been his strength… I think the best basketball of Ja Morant, I think we may have already seen that.”
This season, Morant is averaging only 17.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 7.6 assists on 35.9 percent shooting from the field across 12 regular season starts. The 26-year-old guard is also not on great terms with head coach Tuomas Iisalo.
Memphis Grizzlies News: Tuomas Iisalo bares minutes restrictions on Zach Edey and Cedric Coward
Zach Edey did well in his season debut for the Memphis Grizzlies, notching eight points, 11 rebounds, two assists, and two blocks on 4-for-10 shooting, while Cedric Coward started and had 19 points, 11 rebounds, and five three-pointers on 7-for-15 shooting.
However, both players only played 25 minutes each, as Memphis Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo admitted that he doesn’t want to risk injuries to their young players.
“It’s a challenging situation because both guys have done a great job for us,” Iisalo explained via the Memphis Commerical Appeal. “We would like to play them a lot. Both guys are also starting for us. But at the same time, we have to be smart because their future is also very important for us.”
