Grizzlies' Jaren Jackson Jr. to start in season debut on Tuesday

Grizzlies big man Jaren Jackson Jr. will make his season debut and be in the starting lineup against New Orleans on Tuesday, the team’s PR department tweets.

He was listed as out for all previous games this season as he rehabbed from foot surgery. Jackson started playing in 5-on-5 situations during practice last week.

Jackson underwent surgery in late June for a stress fracture in his right foot. He was expected to miss four to six months at the time of the surgery but made steady progress and now is back in action 4 1/2 months after the procedure.

Jackson signed a four-year extension last fall. He’ll make $28,946,605 in the first year of the extension this season, though the salary numbers decline through the life of the deal.

His return is an obvious boost to a team already on the path to serious contention. In 78 regular season games last season, he averaged 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.