(Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
The 2023-24 NBA season is going to be a tough one for the Memphis Grizzlies as they’re going to be shorthanded to start the year.
Memphis will be without Ja Morant who was suspended for 25 games after multiple incidents involving firearms, while Brandon Clarke will also miss time as he rehabs from the torn Achilles he suffered.
Although the Grizzlies traded for Marcus Smart to fill in for Morant, they’ll be thin in the frontcourt as Jaren Jackson Jr. will have to man most of the minutes at center.
Steven Adams was forced to miss the second half of the regular season as he dealt with a PCL sprain.
Adams received an injection in March to help with the recovery, but it kept him out of the playoffs when Memphis lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games in the first round.
The expectation was that Adams would be ready to go for the upcoming season, but it appears he suffered a setback and will instead undergo season-ending surgery via the Grizzlies.
BREAKING: Steven Adams is out for the rest of the season pic.twitter.com/E4PLXN1hpm
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 22, 2023
This is obviously a huge blow for the Grizzlies who were exposed in the playoffs because of their lack of big man depth.
Adams isn’t much of a scorer, but he’s arguably the league’s best offensive rebounder and a stout defender in the post.
He and Jackson make for a great interior defensive tandem, but now the team will have to pivot without him on the floor.
Players like Xavier Tillman, David Roddy, and Kenneth Lofton Jr. are expected to see more minutes in Adams’ absence.
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