Memphis Grizzlies: Reserve players get a chance with injuries piling up

The Memphis Grizzlies have struggled with injuries throughout 2021 so far. Jaren Jackson Jr. still hasn’t stepped on the court and the Grizz haven’t been able to get into a rhythm without a consistent rotation. That said, they finally started to find an injury-free rotation that was working for them.

But just when things started to click, the Grizzlies began to accumulate a few minor injuries. Nobody has gone down with a scary season-ending fall, but soreness seems to be plaguing a young Grizzlies team that is going through a brutal road stretch.

Even Ja Morant fell victim to some lower back pain at the end of Tuesday night’s game. It looks like he’ll be okay, but there was worry in the air for a while.

Against the Miami Heat, the Grizzlies were playing without four major contributors. Thankfully, only one starter was sidelined in JJJ. That said, the loss of De’Anthony Melton, a guy who has been playing his best basketball lately, was huge.

Here’s the full injury report from Grizzlies PR for the game against the Miami Heat.

Prior to the game, Brandon Clarke would later be ruled OUT, missing the game against the Heat. Pair that with Justise Winslow being OUT and the Grizz were shorthanded against a tough Miami team.

Memphis Grizzlies reserve players stepped up to help the Grizz get a win

While being shorthanded was definitely a setback, it gave some of the Grizzlies’ reserve players a chance to get meaningful minutes out on the court. Specifically, there were three players who saw extended minutes.

The first was Xavier Tillman, who has been in and out of the lineup all season. He has shown that he can be an immediate contributor to this Memphis team despite being taken in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft. He would finish the game with 11 points, 6 rebounds, and a steal and did a strong job holding down the paint when Valanciunas was on the bench.

Another player who we were able to get a glimpse of on Tuesday night was John Konchar. After going undrafted in 2019, the Grizzlies picked up Konchar as a free agent. He has primarily been a G-Leauge player for the Memphis Hustle but was able to give solid contributions to the NBA team against the Miami Heat.

In 21 minutes, Konchar showed his potential all over the floor. He scored 5 points, dished out 6 assists, recorded 2 steals. It was enough to positively benefit this Grizzlies team and help them secure a win.

The third and final new face out on the court was Killian Tillie, a player that the Grizzlies picked up after he went undrafted in the most recent NBA Draft. Tillie had a relatively modest game but led the Grizzlies in (+/-) with +13.

In all likelihood, this could be the best look we get at these players for the remainder of the season. They did a strong job filling in against a threatening Miami Heat team, so Grizzlies fans have to feel great about how these guys performed.