Steven Adams (left) will be out of Memphis’ lineup for at least another 4 weeks.
Memphis Grizzlies center Steven Adams seems unlikely to play before the end of the regular season, per the team’s latest update on his injury status.
Adams had a stem cell injection on his right knee for the PCL strain he suffered and will be re-evaluated in roughly four weeks. Based on that timetable, if Adams can play in one month, that would be three days before the regular season ends for Memphis (April 9).
The @memgrizz announced the following medical update: pic.twitter.com/xmSEN6KWyS
— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) March 9, 2023
Adams has been out of the Grizzlies’ lineup since late January when the team announced he would be out three to five weeks with a sprained ligament in his right knee. Memphis was 31-16 when he left the lineup and was No. 2 in the Western Conference, but since then, the Grizzlies have gone 7-10 and have fallen behind the Sacramento Kings for that spot.
Adams sprained the posterior cruciate ligament in his knee in a 112-10 loss in Phoenix on Jan. 22. He hurt his knee diving for a loose ball in the final seconds. He sat out a 133-100 loss in Sacramento on Jan. 23 before being diagnosed with the injury.
The nine-year veteran leads the NBA in offensive rebounds after leading the league in that category last season. He’s a key reason why the Grizzlies rank second in that category behind only the Knicks this season. Adams is averaging 8.6 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, and he has started all 42 games he has played this season.
While Adams has been out, the Grizzlies have also been without All-Star guard Ja Morant of late, who has missed the team’s last two games amid the circumstances following his livestreamed video in which he appeared to be displaying a gun in a strip club in Colorado.
Morant was cleared of any charges by the Glendale Police Department on Wednesday, but the team announced Morant will miss at least the next four games.
That means Morant will miss games against Golden State on Thursday, at home against Dallas on Saturday, at Dallas on Monday and at Miami on March 15. The earliest he could play is March 17 at San Antonio, and there’s no guarantee of that.
The NBA has said it is also looking into the matter and has not announced any sanctions — such as a suspension — against Morant.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
