It may not seem like it, but this time last week after the Grizzlies beat the Suns on the road for their second straight unexpected victory on the road, it felt as if the Grizzlies were experiencing their best stretch of the season.
Unfortunately, it was not meant to last long, as now it feels like the Grizzlies have hit rock bottom.
Both Desmond Bane and Jake Laravia suffered left ankle sprains in their back to back games over the weekend against the Clippers and Knicks. Bane will miss at least six weeks while Laravia will miss at least three weeks.
For Laravia, it is the latest injury that will once again prevent him from being able to take advantage of an opportunity at playing time for the Grizzlies. He was coming off arguably his best game of the season against the Clippers. Hopefully he will be back before the All-Star Break.
Without a doubt, the loss of Bane is a huge disappointment. On the season, Bane is averaging 24.4 points, 5.3 assists, 4.6 boards, 3.3 threes, and a steal over 37 games. He truly was putting together a campaign worthy of All-Star consideration. Now, it seems that Bane will not return to action until March at the earliest. Even with all the other injuries that have occurred, the hope was that after the loss of Morant and Smart, the continued growth of Bane and Jackson Jr. would be the narratives to watch for the rest of the season. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies will now be without all three starters for the next six weeks at least.
There is not much to say at this point. When it comes to an injury and the Grizzlies, it only seems logical to expect the worse. Hopefully, Smart, Bane, Laravia, and others will be back to 100% as soon as possible and back on the court at some point to end the season on a high note.
Of course, with all these significant injuries occurring, the Grizzlies are likely now in line to add multiple players to the roster due to hardship/injury roster exceptions. There should be specifics on those moves in the near future, so stick with Bluff City Media for all the latest. The hope at this point is that Jaren Jackson Jr. remains healthy, while strong showings from Vince Williams Jr., GG Jackson, and others continue.