Memphis Grizzlies: Jaren Jackson Jr. out for at least two weeks
By Ethan Becker
The Memphis Grizzlies have announced that Forward Jaren Jackson Jr. will be out for at least two weeks, what does this mean for their playoff hopes?
As first reported by the Memphis Grizzlies PR Twitter account, Grizzlies Forward Jaren Jackson Jr will be out for at least two weeks with what appears to be a sprained left knee.
Jackson Jr went down with under a minute left in the Grizzlies first half against the Los Angeles Lakers as he attempted to disrupt a pass by LeBron James. He went to the bench, and then to the locker room, and didn’t return for the rest of the game.
The injury comes at a bad time for Memphis, as the team has been trying to retain the eighth seed that they acquired before the All-Star break, but have yet to pick up a win since the break. Going into the All-Star weekend, Memphis had a four game lead on the ninth seed Portland Trail Blazers, and they now currently have a 3.5 game lead, after playing just two games.
This injury continues Jackson Jr troubling history of knee injuries. Last season, he was shut down after just 58 games with a quad injury, and he suffered a bad injury scare in a Nov. 2nd game against the Phoenix Suns when he went down with an injury that only kept him out one game.
Fortunately for Memphis, the moves that they made towards the end of the trade deadline have given them a little more depth at the four and five position. Presumably, the rotation will move to Brandon Clarke as the starter with Gorgui Dieng as the second-stringer and Jordan Bell filling in any extra minutes.
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Jackson Jr will be reevaluated in two weeks, making his earliest possible return on Tuesday, March 10 against the Orlando Magic. He will miss at least eight games.