Memphis Grizzlies: Jaren Jackson Jr. could play for the first time in 2021
The Memphis Grizzlies have been playing some of their best basketball since the departure of Mike Conley and Marc Gasol. The best part? They’ve been doing it without their star forward in Jaren Jackson Jr. for the entirety of the 2020-21 season thus far.
That said, they have missed their forward in every single game that he has been out. While Jackson Jr. has been out, Jonas Valanciunas has had to carry the entire load of locking down the paint for this team.
On Sunday, it was announced that Valanciunas would be out with a concussion, adding to a long list of other injuries for the Memphis Grizzlies.
That list included four questionable players, with Dillon Brooks, De’Anthony Melton, Brandon Clarke, and Justise Winslow all listed with various soreness. But while reading through the injury report, something new stuck out.
Memphis Grizzlies F Jaren Jackson Jr. has a chance to play against the Nuggets
The day has finally come. After looking through a list of five players that are either questionable or out, eyes land on the sixth, whose name has been in the same category for the entirety of the season. That player is Jaren Jackson Jr.
On Grizzlies PR’s injury report, Jackson Jr. has been upgraded from OUT to Doubtful, which may not seem ideal. Having said that, Grizzlies fans have been refreshing their Twitter feed every single day for the past month, hoping to see his name make this move.
In all likelihood, he won’t play against the Nuggets, but the possibility of this finally happening is an exciting thought.
It’s worth noting that Jonas Valanciunas will be out with a concussion, so this could lead the Grizzlies into giving JJJ a chance to get back out on the court earlier. That said, Grizzlies coaches and trainers have shown that they want to be careful, so don’t count on his return just quite yet.
Next. JJJ's return could break the Western Conference. dark
Regardless, if he doesn’t return on Monday against the Nuggets, you can expect him to be back in the near future. This is happening just in time, as the Grizzlies will be looking to make an NBA Playoff push in the coming days.