Is Ja Morant playing tonight against the New Orleans Pelicans? Latest on All-Star guard's availability (Dec. 26)

Ja Morant will be part of the Memphis Grizzlies rotation when they travel to the New Orleans Pelicans on December 26. The explosive guard has enjoyed a hot start to the season after completing his 25-game suspension and is averaging 28.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 9.0 assists over his first three games.

However, the Grizzlies will be missing a significant amount of players for their upcoming game. Steven Adams, Brandon Clarke, Luke Kennard, and Derrick Rose all remain on the injury report, in what is a major blow to the depth available to Taylor Jenkins.

Marcus Smart has been upgraded to questionable after missing the past 16 games, while John Konchar will be available to play.

With so many players missing from their rotation, the Grizzlies will be heavily reliant on Morant and Desmond Bane, who has been enjoying a strong season thus far. Still, the absences of Smart, Adams, and Clarke will hit Taylor Jenkins' team hard, as all three have significant roles within the squad.

When facing a Pelicans team that has Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and CJ McCollum all available, the Grizzlies will need to be at their best on both sides of the court. That means there can be no excuses regarding the players that are missing from the roster.

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The Memphis Grizzlies could struggle to make the playoffs

Ja Morant's return to the Memphis Grizzlies rotation has undoubtedly given them a serious boost. He's an All-Star talent who can dominate games with his playmaking, scoring and athleticism.

However, with so many injuries throughout the team and such a slow start to the season, the Grizzlies could struggle to qualify for the playoffs.

As things currently stand, Memphis sits 13th in the West, having lost 19 of their 28 games so far. The Grizzlies will need to claw their way up to the 10th seed if they want to fight for a postseason spot via the play-in tournament.

However, that seeding is currently held by the Golden State Warriors, with the LA Lakers, Houston Rockets, and New Orleans Pelicans directly above them.

The Western Conference is full of teams that could potentially make deep postseason runs. As such, Morant's return to the rotation may not be enough to suddenly boost the Grizzlies to a point where they surge up the standings.

However, Memphis will be confident that with almost two-thirds of the season remaining, there's more than enough time to make a push and salvage their campaign.