Ja Morant injury: Trail Blazers star expected to miss at least four weeks with hamstring strain — SkimNews
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- Ja Morant suffered a Grade 2 left hamstring sprain against the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday and will miss at least the next four weeks, the Portland Trail Blazers announced.
- Ja Morant exited with 7:46 remaining after appearing to injure himself while pursuing his own missed floater; he did not return and finished with 14 points, three assists and two rebounds in 23 minutes.
- Portland Trail Blazers fell 124-103 to Memphis, their first defeat of the 2026-27 season after opening with wins over the Lakers, Kings and Suns.
- Ja Morant averaged 15.8 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds in his first four games with Portland after an offseason trade, but he had played only 79 games over the previous three seasons, including 20 in 2025-26.
- Jrue Holiday is the projected starter in Morant’s absence, and the article projects Scoot Henderson taking a larger first-guard-off-the-bench role, even though Sidy Cissoko has averaged 22.8 minutes to Henderson’s 18.8.
- Portland Trail Blazers entered the season with Ja Morant, Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson competing at guard, while Shaedon Shapre was already out for the foreseeable future after tearing the lateral meniscus in his right knee.
- Portland Trail Blazers rank No. 2 in the NBA in defensive rating at 101.3 through the first week and a half, and the source projects further improvement with Holiday in the starting lineup.
Why it matters: Portland loses a guard averaging 15.8 points and 5.5 assists for at least four weeks, while Jrue Holiday is likely to take over the starting role. The change matters because Portland ranks second in the NBA in defensive rating at 101.3, and the article says that unit should improve with Holiday starting.
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