Memphis Grizzlies: When will Dillon Brooks return from ankle injury?

Memphis Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks suffered an injury in the Jan. 8 game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Brooks, who missed the first few weeks of the 2021-22 season recovering from a hand injury, made his season debut Nov. 11 against Charlotte. He entered Health & Safety Protocols Dec. 26 and played in his first game back Jan. 6.

In total, Dillon Brooks has played in 21 games this season after factoring in his off-season injury recovery and being in coronavirus protocols.

The 6’7″ Brooks is averaging 18.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 2.7 apg this season for Memphis.

How long will Dillon Brooks be out of action for the Memphis Grizzlies?

According to multiple reports, Dillon Brooks is expected to be out of action for 3-5 weeks with a left ankle sprain.

This means the target date for his return will be somewhere between Jan. 29 and Feb. 12. But, the team could hold him out of action until after the 2022 NBA All-Star break, according to ESPN NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski. 

NBA All-Star Weekend is Feb. 18-20 and games resume Feb. 24.

By the most conservative observations, we would see Brooks return Feb. 24 against the Timberwolves after regular season action resumes post-All-Star break.

Hopefully Brooks has a swift and speedy recovery and he’s able to rejoin the team before the All-Star break. However, the Grizzlies have done a superb job of not rushing their players back into action after injury. Expect the training staff to be cautious with Brooks as he goes through the rehab and recovery process.

In the meantime, look for rookie Ziaire Williams and John Konchar to see an increase in workload while Brooks is sidelined with his injury. It’s next man-up for the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Memphis Grizzlies are 28-14 on the season and currently fourth place in the Western Conference.