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The Memphis Grizzlies have struggled their strategy to three consecutive losses, and now, the dangerous information simply retains coming. The crew introduced Tuesday that beginning heart Steven Adams will miss three to 5 weeks with a sprained PCL, which he suffered in Sunday’s sport in opposition to the Phoenix Suns.
Adams is among the many extra sturdy gamers in all of basketball. He performed in 70 or extra video games in every of his first six seasons, and final season, his first as a Grizzly, he gave Memphis 76 video games. This season, he’d missed solely 4 video games earlier than getting injured, so his absence is notable within the context of his profession.
It’s additionally doubtlessly damaging to a Memphis crew that at present holds the No. 2 seed within the Western Conference. Their offense, which ranks twenty second in 3-point proportion, depends on its glorious 33.1 % offensive rebounding fee to generate half-court offense. Smaller lineups that includes Jaren Jackson Jr. at heart relatively than energy ahead would possibly have the ability to compensate with superior taking pictures and ball-handling, however that not solely compromises their offensive id, however dangers their No. 1-ranked protection as effectively.
Memphis’ success on the offensive glass — 13.3 boards on that finish of the ground, which trails solely the Knicks’ 13.4 within the NBA — is led by Adams’ 5.1 per sport. No different Grizzly is within the prime 50, and so it is going to be key to see how Memphis addresses that hole.
This season has simply been one harm after one other for the Grizzlies. Jackson began the yr harm, and Desmond Bane rapidly joined him. Ja Morant sometimes misses a significant quantity of video games resulting from harm thanks partly to his aggressive taking part in model, and this season, he is already missed eight video games. Now Memphis, making an attempt to catch the No. 1 seeded Nuggets, should transfer on with no locker room chief and important component of their beginning lineup for the subsequent month or so.
