Grizzlies' Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart Week-to-Week with Oblique, Ankle Injuries
November 1, 2024
Memphis Grizzlies starters Marcus Smart and Desmond Bane are considered week-to-week with injuries, the team announced on Friday.
Bane suffered a right oblique strain and Smart sprained his right ankle during Wednesday's loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
Bane and Smart's injuries will further test the depth of a Grizzlies roster currently missing Luke Kennard, Vince Williams Jr., Cam Spencer and John Konchar.
The Grizzlies return to action on Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Jaylen Wells and Santi Aldama started on Thursday as Ja Morant's triple-double led the Grizzlies to a 122-99 win over the visiting Milwaukee Bucks.
Wells contributed 16 points in 35 minutes in his first career start, while Aldama put up 19 points to contribute to the win.
Both will continue to get more playing time with Bane, Smart, Spencer and Williams all at least a week out from returning, according to the team.
Grizzlies starters Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. have also dealt with injuries this season. Morant, who has been listed on Memphis injury reports with thigh soreness, has yet to play 30 minutes in a game this season. Jackson was sidelined for the first two games of the season with a hamstring strain and is playing under a minutes restriction.
The limits on Morant and Jackson's minutes will make it harder for them to make up for the loss of their two fellow starters. Bane was averaging 18.8 points per game, second on the team only to Morant, while shooting 48.6 percent from the field prior to his injury. Smart was meanwhile contributing 5.6 points and 1.2 steals per game.
In other injury news, getting a return window for Williams is a positive sign for the Grizzlies given that the team offered no projected return date when first announcing the stress reaction in his tibia in September.
The Grizzlies did not offer updates for Kennard, who has not yet made his regular-season debut due to a foot muscle sprain, or Konchar, who missed Thursday's win over the Bucks with a quadriceps contusion.
