Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. could make his season debut on Wednesday. He’s been upgraded to questionable on Memphis' injury report for its game against the Clippers, the team’s PR department tweets.
Jackson suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee during the summer and has spent the season rehabbing the injury after undergoing surgery in mid-August. He could provide a major boost to a team sitting in the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference.
Last season, Jackson averaged 17.4 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 1.6 BPG in 57 starts. Memphis exercised its option on his contract for next season before this season. He’ll make $9.18 million in 2021-22 and then head into a free agency, either restricted or unrestricted, in the summer of ’22 unless he signs a rookie-scale extension before opening night next season.
In terms of this season, Jackson’s return could affect the playing time of Xavier Tillman, Brandon Clarke and Justise Winslow.
Jackson will be on a minutes restriction, according to Mark Giannotto of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
“We’re not going to just throw (Jackson) into the fire and play a heavy load,” coach Taylor Jenkins said. “We’re going to be smart about his minutes and his integration, obviously trying to find the right combinations for him to be successful, for our team to be successful.”
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