Portland Trail Blazers guard Ja Morant will miss at least four weeks after suffering a Grade 2 left hamstring strain during Thursday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies, the team announced.
Morant, facing his former team for the first time since being traded to Portland this offseason, exited with 7:46 remaining in the fourth quarter. He had scored 14 points with three assists and two rebounds in 23 minutes before the injury occurred on a missed floater.
The 124-103 loss marked Portland's first defeat of the 2026-27 season after opening wins over the Los Angeles Lakers, Sacramento Kings, and Phoenix Suns. Morant had been averaging 15.8 points, 5.5 assists, and 2.5 rebounds in his first four games with the Blazers.
With Morant sidelined, veteran guard Jrue Holiday is expected to move into the starting lineup. The Blazers entered the season with a crowded backcourt that also includes Damian Lillard, Scoot Henderson, and the injured Shaedon Sharpe, who is out with a torn lateral meniscus.
First-year coach Micah Nori has distributed minutes among Lillard (29.5 per game), Morant (25.8), Holiday (25.3), Henderson (18.8), and Sidy Cissoko (22.8). Portland's defensive rating of 101.3 ranks second in the NBA through the early season.
Morant joins a growing list of NBA stars sidelined early in the campaign, including Anthony Edwards, Paolo Banchero, Kawhi Leonard, Jaren Jackson Jr., Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams. Others such as Brandon Ingram, Jimmy Butler, Kon Knueppel, and Kristaps Porziņģis have yet to make their season debuts, while Ben Simmons will miss the entire season after tearing his Achilles.
