Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant returned to the court Saturday, the team announced.
Morant had not played since injuring his right knee on March 18. He had been listed as out with knee pain ever since.
The Grizzlies have thrived with Morant on and off the court this season and are 20-4 in games he hasn’t played, though they’ve lost the last two.
Memphis already clinched the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference Playoffs.
Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said they will monitor Morant’s minutes throughout the game.
“He may not play his playoff minutes, but we’ll be smart,” Jenkins said when asked about Morant’s minute restriction.
“Obviously we want him to have the best possible run with the group he’s going to play with, but he’s been out for a few weeks. We want to be smart about not throwing him straight into high-volume minutes right off the bat.”
Jenkins cited playoff chemistry as one of the reasons for bringing Morant back before the playoffs begin next week.
“A lot of it is just getting back on the court, playing competitive basketball after a pretty long layoff,” Jenkins said. “Those are all the factors that go through our heads, and if our medical team says this is good and you feel good about it, I think that’s a confidence boost for the Playoffs after being out for a couple of weeks”.
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Morant (right knee) reappears vs. Pelicans