Portland Trail Blazers centre Donovan Clingan says Ja Morant is staying positive and working hard while recovering from a grade 2 hamstring strain.
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Ja Morant’s hamstring injury has prompted an extended absence for the Portland Trail Blazers, but Donovan Clingan provided what the team can build on during Morant’s recovery.
Morant suffered a hamstring injury against his former team, the Memphis Grizzlies, on October 29. The Blazers confirmed the following day that Morant had a grade 2 hamstring strain and ruled him out for at least four weeks.
Before the injury, Morant—playing his first season with Portland—averaged 15.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.0 steal across four games. He was acquired in the offseason in exchange for Jerami Grant and Kris Murray.
Clingan said Morant has been “good” and added, “Obviously, it sucks that he got knocked down. But he’s staying positive. He’s been working hard. So he’ll be back better than ever.” Clingan also said Morant has stayed engaged with the team during his absence, including helping the coaching staff and telling teammates what he thinks they could do better.
Portland entered November with a 7-3 start, including wins against the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets and Oklahoma City Thunder. Damian Lillard was reported as starting to find his rhythm after missing all of last season, while Deni Avdija was described as continuing his high-level play.
The Blazers also received an earlier update on the injury timeline after coach Micah Nori told reporters Morant’s hamstring injury “might not be as extensive” as first believed, following Morant’s visit to a doctor in Los Angeles. Nori did not provide a revised return date.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a grade 2 hamstring strain involves a partial tear of the muscle fibres and can take several months to fully recover, depending on the injury severity.
While sidelined, Morant also cut his long dreadlocks, posting a photo of himself getting the locks trimmed and captioning it with a scissor emoji. The post drew comments from several former teammates, including Yuki Kawamura, Scotty Pippen Jr., Ziaire Williams and GG Jackson.
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