How Stephen A. Smith Thinks Ja Morant's Injury Impacts Lakers’ Chances

The ESPN analyst breaks down just how far LA can get in this series.

Halfway through the fourth quarter of your Los Angeles Lakers' 128-112 playoff game victory over the Memphis Grizzlies Sunday, Grizzlies All-Star point guard Ja Morant exited the contest with a right hand injury.

ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith believes that, should Morant miss the 2-7 first round series' second game on Wednesday, LA will win.

.@stephenasmith says the Lakers-Grizzlies series is OVER after Ja Morant's injury:

"This series is over. As far as I'm concerned, the Lakers are winning this series. I think it's done." pic.twitter.com/Wvq7emsije

— First Take (@FirstTake) April 17, 2023

Smith noted that "...because of Ja's [unclear] status, this series is over. As far as I'm concerned the Lakers are winning this series. I think it's done. I'm looking at Memphis yesterday -- and give Kendrick Perkins credit, he called it like he saw it -- and picked the Lakers to win this series. I'm certainly not trying to take any shine away from you big Perk. But the bottom line is I thought that Memphis probably had a chance to win this series in seven games. It was going to take Ja Morant being a star to pull it off but I believe he's that kind of star that could have done it."

"They have no chance as far as I'm concerned now with Steven Adams out, with Brandon Clarke out, and then to lose Ja Morant too -- that is just entirely, entirely too much to overcome. Anthony Davis obviously was playing big boy basketball," Smith continued. "He's too big for them, they have no answer for him outside of Jaren Jackson, who played a pretty damn good game. But in the end, Jaren Jackson has no help on that front line whatsoever... But Ja Morant is just that dude. Without him, I'm giving the Grizzlies zero chance of winning this series. And to me, the reason why I say it's over, is because there's no way in hell that you're coming back from an 0-2 deficit against these Lakers."

Per Dr. Nirav Pandya, an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of California San Francisco, there is a good chance that, despite X-rays on the hand were negative, the soft tissues around Morant's right wrist and hand could still be swollen and/or painful, subsequently limiting his comfort with shooting and dribbling. Per Pandya, further imaging via an MRI can help detect smaller breaks.

Even with negative x-rays, the soft tissues around the wrist/hand can remain painful/swollen which can basketball activities (dribbling / shooting) hard. An MRI can also make sure (if they go down that route) if any smaller fractures not seen on x-ray are present.

— Dr. Nirav Pandya, M.D. (@DrNiravPandya) April 16, 2023

We don't have an official word just yet on the availability of Morant Wednesday, though what we have heard is just not very encouraging.

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