The Memphis Grizzlies received some bad news Thursday evening. Point guard Ja Morant will miss at least two weeks with a tweaked knee, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins added that Morant will be re-evaluated at that time.

Grizzlies star Ja Morant will be re-evaluated in two weeks due to tweaked knee, coach Taylor Jenkins says.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 24, 2022

With just eight games remaining, the Grizzlies could be preparing to finish the regular season sans Morant. The two-week period Jenkins and the Grizzlies have laid out opens the window for a possible April 7th return against the Denver Nuggets.

However, with the Grizzlies’ regular season concluding on April 10th, shutting Morant down until the NBA Playoffs seems to be a plausible possibility.

The timing is unfortunate for Memphis, which just secured its fifth 50-win season in franchise history last night with a victory over the Brooklyn Nets. The Grizzlies currently possess a five-game lead over the Dallas Mavericks in the Southwest Division, which the franchise has never won. The team also sits five games ahead of the Utah Jazz in the race for second place in the Western Conference.

Morant has missed a total of 17 games this season due to various injuries. However, the news is not all bad – Grizzlies hold a 15-2 record on the year without its star point guard. Guards Tyus Jones (8.3 PPG) and De’Anthony Melton (10.2 PPG) will be forced into more prominent roles to close out what has been a remarkable regular season for Memphis.

Tyus Jones as a starter this season:

14 PPG
8.3 APG
+163 +/-

In those starts, Grizzlies have a 15-2 record with 12 of those wins coming by 10+ points

— Grizzlies Analytics (@GrizzAnalytics) March 24, 2022

Morant is averaging 27.6 PPG, 6.7 APG, and 5.7 RPG on the year. The Grizzlies role players will be forced to step up in an effort to replace the lost production from its 22-year-old budding superstar.

Featured image via Petre Thomas – USA TODAY Sports