Still less than a week into the NBA regular season, the Memphis Grizzlies have been dealt a harsh blow on the injury front. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, forward JaMychal Green underwent successful surgery for a broken jaw he suffered during Friday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.
Grizzlies forward JaMychal Green suffered a broken jaw and underwent surgery today. He was hurt in victory over Atlanta on Friday night.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 20, 2018
A serious injury, JaMychal Green is expected to be sidelined for an extended period. Wojnarowski reports that the Alabama product will miss 2-4 weeks of action and won’t be cleared for contact for at least a month.
Grizzlies forward JaMychal Green will likely miss four to six weeks after surgery Saturday to repair a broken jaw, league sources ESPN. Green isn’t expected to be cleared for contact for a month.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 20, 2018
Slated as Memphis’ starting power forward, losing a sturdy veteran such as Green will surely hurt a Grizzlies roster looking to regain form fresh off a putrid 2017 campaign.
Though Green doesn’t excel at one particular facet of the game, he served as a nice complement to All-Star Marc Gasol in Memphis’ frontcourt. His ability to stretch the defense out to the 3-point line and also play above average interior defense made him an ideal starter.
Now with Green sidelined, Memphis will likely have to turn to star rookie Jaren Jackson Jr. and throw him to the wolves earlier than they would’ve liked. Jackson Jr. was selected fourth overall in this most recent NBA Draft and seemingly has every tool to blossom into a modern superstar big man.
With Green out of the equation for at least a month, it will be extremely telling how Jackson Jr. responds to this newfound challenge. The likes of Chandler Parsons, Omri Casspi and Kyle Anderson could also all see a spike in playing time over the next few weeks.
