One of the key offseason storylines for the Grizzlies was the injuries to Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey. Just hours after receiving a five-year $240 million extension from the Grizzlies, Jaren Jackson Jr. suffered a right turf toe injury, which ended up requiring surgery. Zach Edey also underwent surgery after re-injuring his left ankle during an offseason workout.
To make matters worse, Brandon Clarke recently underwent surgery to address knee synovitis. Clarke is not expected to be reevaluated until early November. While Jackson Jr. and Edey should still be available for most of the season, the Grizzlies' frontcourt depth will be thin to start the season. The Grizzlies' first two months could have a significant impact on where they finish in the standings.
Iisalo will have to figure out his frontcourt rotation
During media day, Jaren Jackson Jr. left open the possibility of a return for opening night. Regardless of whether he suits up for opening night or not, the absences of Clarke and Edey still leave the Grizzlies thin in the frontcourt. Players such as Santi Aldama and Jock Landale will get increased opportunities while Zach Edey and Brandon Clarke continue to recover.
Even with Aldama and Landale set to see an uptick in minutes, the Grizzlies will likely give two-way player PJ Hall early opportunities. Entering his second season, PJ Hall is coming off a very impressive Summer League campaign with the Charlotte Hornets. Hall will have opportunities to prove that his summer performances can translate at the NBA level.
With the Grizzlies' dire need for frontcourt depth, there could be other surprise options to fill the void. Olivier Maxence-Prosper, also known as O-Max, was mentioned by Iisalo as someone who is making an early case for frontcourt minutes. Iisalo also even brought up rookie Cedric Coward as a potential option to play the four because of his physicality and rebounding for his position.
The Grizzlies must capitalize on their early schedule
It is always challenging to overcome injuries to multiple key rotation players; however, the Grizzlies' schedule could help them stay afloat early. Eight of the first 11 games for the Grizzlies will be played at home. Besides a disastrous 2023-24 season, the Grizzlies have fared well at home the last few seasons. The Grizzlies will have some difficult home contests early, such as the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Grizzlies will have an opportunity to build early momentum.
Jaren Jackson Jr. should be back early in the season and could even play the first game. With Zach Edey recently returning to basketball activities, he should likely return around late November. The good news is that neither player should miss significant time this season. However, their injuries happen to overlap with the start of the season. If the Grizzlies can get effective production with their frontcourt to start the year, they will be in a solid position to return to the playoffs this season.