Suspended guard returns to woeful Grizzlies

The NBA suspended Morant for 25 games after he flashed a handgun on a livestream for the second time. Since then, Morant has been allowed to travel and practice with the team, but not play in or even be in the arena during games. NBA commissioner Adam Silver said that Morant had "complied with everything he's been asked to do" in order to return.

Memphis has struggled severely without Morant, going 6-19, which is tied for the fourth-worst record in the NBA. It has the worst offensive rating in the league, which is not entirely due to Morant's absence. Not only have the Grizzlies been without their biggest star, they've lost a shocking number of players to injuries.

The Grizzlies have played 22 games with five or more players out with injuries. Big men Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke are both out for the season, while their main offseason acquisition, Marcus Smart, has missed 14 games. Their best three-point shooter, Luke Kennard, has missed 17 games. Memphis has played 25-year-old point guard Jacob Gilyard in 19 games and started him in eight. Before this season he'd played one career NBA game.

While it remains to be seen how quickly Morant will return to form, it will help simply to have a real point guard who is taller than five-foot-nine - no offense to Gilyard. Morant will also immediately help the Grizzlies' abysmal rates of free throws and assists, and should balance an offense that's taking the fifth-most threes in the league but making them at the second-worst rate.

However, Memphis might have racked up too many injuries and too many losses to reasonably make a playoff push. Morant is going to help them improve, but the Grizzlies are going to need a a historic turnaround to even make the play-in round at this point.