|
Welcome back to your Grizzlies Insider, where we deliver the latest NBA news and analysis straight from Daily Memphian staffers Drew Hill, Chris Herrington and Geoff Calkins right to your inbox.
It’s still not perfect, but the Grizzlies are getting close to normal.
Following the debut of Justise Winslow Saturday night and the return of three players the Grizzlies elected to rest, Memphis will have its healthiest group of the season so far when it takes on the Dallas Mavericks Monday night.
The only Grizzlies players not available against Dallas are Jaren Jackson Jr. (meniscus surgery recovery), Killian Tillie (foot soreness) and Dillon Brooks (thigh soreness).
Jackson has not played all season and is not expected to return this month as he continues to ramp up basketball activity. Tillie, a two-way player has been nagged by hamstring and foot injuries and has also not seen the floor.
Brooks, on the other hand, will miss his third straight game. Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins emphasized that the injury is not serious and is not expected to hold him out a long time.
“(Brooks) has improved in the last two days,” Jenkins said Saturday night. “We don’t have a firm timeline on exactly when he is going to be back. We know it is going to be a short-term thing. There’s nothing overly concerning there at all.”
As previously noted, Brandon Clarke, Grayson Allen and Kyle Anderson have also had two days of rest entering Monday’s matchup. As a team, the Grizzlies will be playing their fifth game in seven days.
 Memphis Grizzlies forward Kyle Anderson (at the game against the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento, Calif., Feb.14, 2021) is expected to be back in action Monday, Feb. 22, along with Grayson Allen and Brandon Clarke. (Rich Pedroncelli/AP)
The NBA is expected to release its second-half schedule in the coming week. The league has noted that it will try to avoid future four-games-in-five-days scenarios, but will have an increase in games on back-to-back nights.
More from your Insider:
Plus: Justise Winslow’s debut and why the second-half schedule could be a problem for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Fans finally got to see Justise Winslow in a Memphis Grizzlies uniform, and he’s happy to be thrown in the fire from the start.
More than a year after he joined the Grizzlies in a trade, Justise Winslow finally played for his new team. The stats were not pretty. But the future might yet be.
Justise Winslow missed his first nine shots, and the Grizzlies shot 15% from 3-point range.
De’Anthony Melton and Desmond Bane returned to the lineup, giving the Grizzlies a much needed boost.
The team’s best 3-point shooter will be back Friday night. The Grizzlies also updated the injury status of De’Anthony Melton and Dillon Brooks.
His improved offensive game now makes the picture more difficult when Justise Winslow gets back.
..... |
