Santi Aldama has been out since the February 4 victory against the Sacramento Kings due to right knee injury management. Aldama had also previously missed five games before the Kings game on February 4 due to the same injury.
Aldama was set to make his return last week against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 3rd, but he was a late scratch right before tip-off. He was ruled out for the Trail Blazers game and will also not play against the Los Angeles Clippers tonight.
The situation keeps getting weirder by the minute
Tuomas Iisalo confirmed after the loss to the Timberwolves that Aldama's pregame workout did not go well and that he did not feel ready to play. What's most puzzling, though, is the lack of a clear timetable for Aldama to return.
The injuries to Brandon Clarke, Ja Morant, and Zach Edey have all had consistent updates from Grizzlies PR. However, Santi Aldama's injury has not gotten enough explanation, and it is fair to wonder when he will play again this season, if at all.
Draft positioning is crucial for the Grizzlies this summer, but a healthy Aldama would alleviate multiple concerns for the Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies' lack of size has continued to hurt them
The Grizzlies simply lack a reliable interior presence right now due to injuries. This has been a major detriment to the Grizzlies being able to win games. Some areas of impact include the lack of reliable paint scoring and also the fact that the Grizzlies have had issues with defensive rebounding.
Aldama has been a reliable source of scoring the last few years and would be able to boost the Grizzlies' ability to get more rebounds. The Grizzlies are already 15 games below .500 and a turnaround remains unlikely, but Aldama's availability would be valuable for the development of the young guards on the roster.
The Grizzlies love to use pick-and-roll under Tuomas Iisalo, and Aldama has been very effective, especially as a roll man. Even though the Grizzlies have been able to put up points lately, the offense could still improve significantly with Aldama. Even though the Grizzlies are rebuilding, the season likely would've looked different if Zach Edey and Santi Aldama had played more games.
With Zach Edey out for the season and guys such as Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke still set to miss more time, it will be interesting to monitor Aldama's status the rest of the season. The lack of a clear timetable has been very strange to see, and it remains a legitimate question when he plays again this season, if at all.