Jaren Jackson Jr. Week-to-Week with Ankle Injury amid Grizzlies' NBA Playoff Push
As the Memphis Grizzlies fight to keep their playoff position, they could be without one of their stars for a few weeks.
Per NBA insider Mark Medina, Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr. is considered week-to-week after suffering a Grade 2 left ankle sprain against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.
Jackson is in the midst of another outstanding season, putting up 22.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.3 steals per game. The 2023 Defensive Player of the Year earned his second All-Star nod this year.
Jackson had been mostly healthy up until the ankle injury, playing in 59 of the Grizzlies 61 games so far. The seventh-year player has appeared in 60 or more games in each of the last three seasons and will look to get back on the court soon to keep that streak alive.
While Jackson has been healthy up to this point, the same can't be said of his co-star, Ja Morant. Morant, who played just nine games a season ago, has missed 24 games due to a number of injuries, most recently a shoulder ailment. He has not played more than five consecutive games this year.
Even with Morant, who is putting up 20.9 points and 7.4 assists per game, missing significant time, the Grizzlies have managed to stay afloat. Memphis spent much of the season sitting just behind the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, but a recent rough stretch has changed that.
The Grizzlies have lost seven of their last 10 games and are now sitting in fourth place in the Western Conference, one game behind the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets and one game ahead of the Houston Rockets.
Luckily for the Grizzlies, the strong start to the season means they should make the playoffs barring a catastrophic collapse. Their comfortable position should give Jackson the chance to make sure he's ready to go before the postseason.
