Browsing: Edey

This is a harsh blow to start the season for a Memphis team needing to prove it can make noise in a deep Western Conference.

Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey — the teamâ€s starting power forward and center — as well as backup center Brandon Clarke are all going to miss training camp and the start of the season recovering from surgeries, the team announced Friday.

An All-Star last season and a former Defensive Player of the Year, Jackson had surgery to help deal with a turf toe injury back in July. Last season he averaged 22.2 points per game, shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc, while playing elite defense. Because of his two-way play as well as Ja Morant being in and out of the lineup in recent seasons, Jackson has become the Grizzlies†best player and losing him is a huge blow. Santi Aldama will move into the starting lineup in his place.

Edey made First-Team All-Rookie last season, averaging 9.2 points and 8.3 rebounds a game, while blocking 1.3 shots a night.

Clarke has recovered from the knee sprain that slowed him at the end of last season but now suffers from right knee synovitis — an inflammation of the synovial membrane that surrounds and helps lubricate the knee — and that required his knee to be scoped. While there is no timeline on Clarkeâ€s return, he is going to be re-evaluated in six weeks, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. That likely pushes his return into November.

All these frontcourt injuries will put a lot more pressure on Ja Morant to keep the Grizzlies afloat to start the season until everyone gets healthy. In a West with a minimum of 13 teams thinking playoffs, that will be a big ask.

Source link

Memphis Grizzlies forward/center Brandon Clarke will undergo an arthroscopic procedure to address knee synovitis, which he suffered during offseason training, the team announced Friday.

Clarke is set to be reevaluated in six weeks, sources told ESPN. The Grizzlies said Clarke is expected to make a full recovery from his synovitis, an issue affecting the lining of the knee joint, but did not disclose a timeline.

The 29-year-old Clarke missed the final month of the 2024-25 season with a posterior cruciate ligament sprain, which fully healed without surgery.

Clarke’s injury announcement was one of a number of updates from the Grizzles on Friday. The team also said that center Zach Edey (ankle) and forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (toe) had been cleared to begin ramping up basketball activities. Edey is set to miss another six to nine weeks, while Jackson is expected to return to play in four to six weeks, the Grizzlies said.

Clarke has dealt with a number of lower-body injuries in his career. Along with this latest issue and the PCL strain, he tore his left Achilles tendon late in the 2022-23 season and missed most of the following year.

He played in 64 games last season and averaged 8.3 points and 5.1 rebounds over 18.9 minutes. Clarke has two years and $25 million left on his contract.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Source link