Ja Morant will miss at least four weeks after suffering a Grade 2 left hamstring strain in Thursday’s loss to the Grizzlies, according to the New York Post. The Portland Trail Blazers confirmed the injury on Friday, ending his early-season run before it truly started. This setback comes just one week into the NBA regular season and leaves the team without its leading scorer. Morant played 23 minutes before exiting with 7:46 left in the game. He finished with 14 points and three assists against his former club.
The timing is brutal for a franchise trying to find its footing. Morant was averaging 15.8 points and 5.5 assists through the first four games. He shot a career-best 42.9 percent from three-point range, a stat that now looks like a fleeting high point. The Blazers confirmed he will be re-evaluated in four weeks. That timeline means he likely returns in late November or early December. Portland now faces a long stretch without its best player while trying to build momentum.
A Pattern of Broken Bodies
This injury is not an isolated incident for the 27-year-old guard. Morant has missed significant time due to injuries and suspensions over the last three seasons. He played just 79 games in his final three years with Memphis. Last season, he appeared in 20 games and averaged 19.5 points. His availability has been a major issue for the Grizzlies before they traded him. The move to Portland came with a five-year, $197 million extension signed in 2022. Now that deal looks even riskier with another major injury on the ledger.
In January 2024, he had shoulder surgery that ended his season following a torn labrum. Prior to a left elbow sprain that ended his 2025-26 campaign, he also faced hip and ankle issues. The financial burden is heavy as he is due about $97 million over this season and the next. The Grizzlies struggled to trade him because of these health concerns and his off-court conduct. They faced a lack of a robust market prior to the 2026 trade deadline. Portland took a gamble on a player with a checkered health record.
The League’s Injury Crisis
Morant is not the only star sidelined this early in the year. Just barely a week into the season, the NBA is confronting a wave of significant absences. Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams suffered a fractured fibula and a dislocated ankle. He will miss most of the regular season. Several months of absence are expected for his teammate Cason Wallace due to a torn shoulder labrum. Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards had arthroscopic knee surgery and will be out for approximately two months. Magic cornerstone Paolo Banchero is also out for at least a month because of a high ankle sprain. Pacers leader Tyrese Haliburton is out as well. The depth chart is getting thin for many teams.
This cluster of injuries changes the early landscape of the league. Teams that relied on their stars to carry the load now have to find new answers. The Thunder lose two key rotation players in one night. Minnesota must survive without Edwards for the bulk of the year. Orlando faces a long road without its franchise player. The Blazers join a growing list of teams that lost their best asset in the first week. It is a rough start for the entire league.
Morant’s absence forces Portland to look elsewhere for offense. They cannot rely on him to carry the team for the next month. The trade that brought him to the city now looks like a massive risk. He signed a huge deal but cannot stay on the court. The Grizzlies traded him for a reason, and now the new home is paying the price. The next four weeks will test the Blazers’ roster depth to its limit. They need to win games without their star to prove they can survive.
The team must adjust its strategy immediately. They cannot play the same way they did in the first four games. Morant’s scoring and playmaking are gone for now. The coaching staff has to find a new identity on the fly. Every game in this month becomes a measure of the bench strength. If they lose too many, the season could slip away before Morant returns. The pressure is on the supporting cast to step up. They have no margin for error in the early season.
The injury list for the NBA is longer than usual this year. It affects the playoff picture and the race for the top seeds. Morant’s Grade 2 strain is just one more name on a long list of stars out. The league needs to see if these players can return to full health. For now, the Blazers are in a tough spot. Their star player is owed $97 million over two seasons, will miss a month, and the team now faces a tougher season. The clock starts ticking on Friday for a re-evaluation in four weeks. Until then, the Blazers play without their leader.
