The injury bug and the Memphis Grizzlies are married at this point. The team announced today that reserve guard Scotty Pippen Jr. will undergo a procedure on his toe that limited him to one preseason game, and it will keep him out for at least 12 weeks. This news followed Ty Jerome's calf injury that limited him to four minutes in their final preseason game on Friday night.
Ironically, it feels like the team already prepared for this moment when they drafted rookie point guard Javon Small with the 48th pick of the 2025 NBA Draft. Last season, Jaylen Wells was drafted by the team with the 39th overall pick as a depth piece at the wing position before being thrust into a significant role before the start of the regular season due to injury. Will Javon Small follow in his footsteps?
Javon Small showed poise in the preseason
The Grizzlies are without their top three point guards, with Ja Morant missing the entire preseason with an ankle sprain, and Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr. missing time for the injuries mentioned above. While all signs point to Morant being available for the start of the season, Pippen Jr. is out indefinitely, and Jerome's injury didn't look promising for a return that soon.
Javon Small is signed on a two-way contract, which would limit him to 50 games if it gets to that point. He had a solid summer league showing before looking shaky in his first two preseason games against the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks. He shot a combined 3-16 and nearly had as many turnovers (7) as points (9) combined in the two games.
However, what followed was him becoming arguably the team's biggest spark plug in his final two preseason games, in which he combined for 34 points and 13 assists on 12-17 shooting with only four turnovers. That production might have given the team enough confidence to give him some early minutes in place of the injured Scotty Pippen Jr.
Sounds familiar? Jaylen Wells stepped up in the preseason for the team last season after GG Jackson suffered a toe injury a month before training camp. Vince Williams Jr. also sustained an injury when training camp began, which gave Wells a rotational opportunity. What followed was a Rookie of the Year finalist campaign that saw him become the starter after an early-season injury to Marcus Smart.
The Grizzlies don't want that exact scenario to play out, as it would mean Ja Morant would miss extended time; however, Small seems destined to follow a similar path to Jaylen Wells. His final two preseason performances showed enough to warrant giving him that opportunity to contribute earlier than expected in his career.