Santi Aldama's injury for the Grizzlies is hitting at the worst time for the team. Currently 5.5 games behind the Clippers for the last play-in spot before the All-Star break, most signs point to things not improving for the Grizzlies. If they want to have a chance to reverse their fortunes, Santi Aldama must return soon.
Santi Aldama has been dealing with a right knee injury on and off since last month. Aldama had originally missed January home games against the Hawks and Pelicans before returning against the Rockets on January 26. Since that game, Aldama missed five straight games before appearing in the February 4 game against the Kings, a day after Jaren Jackson Jr. was traded.
However, Santi Aldama has missed the last four games, and his return will have to wait until after the All-Star break.
The Grizzlies' frontcourt is so undermanned right now
The big storyline was the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade; however, trading Jock Landale also contributed to the Grizzlies' frontcourt being shorthanded. To make matters worse, Brandon Clarke and Zach Edey are still recovering from injuries that they suffered back in December.
To help address the Grizzlies' lack of available bigs, the team signed Lawson Lovering to a 10-day contract before the February 11 loss in Denver. While Lovering did show some okay flashes on defense, it is hard to envision him becoming a solidified option the rest of the season. Santi Aldama's injury has really prevented the Grizzlies from getting reliable scoring inside the paint.
The Grizzlies need Aldama's offense
While the Grizzlies will likely continue to struggle on defense the rest of the season, one of the biggest problems in their recent losses post trade deadline has been the lack of late scoring. For instance, the Grizzlies only scored five points in the last eight minutes against the Golden State Warriors on February 8. They also had a hard time scoring late in games against Portland and did not have the offensive power to complete the comeback in Denver.
Memphis has recently gotten good contributions from their guards and forwards, but they simply lack reliable frontcourt scoring, especially with Edey absent. For the season, Aldama is averaging 14 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists. While Aldama cannot solve everything, he would've been a major offensive boost for a struggling Grizzlies team.
The Grizzlies, due to trades and injuries, simply lack enough reliable options on offense. While the effort has been very strong the last few games, they just haven't had the offensive firepower to secure wins in clutch situations. Santi Aldama's injury has been an underrated reason as to why the Grizzlies have not piled up more wins as of late.