A first-quarter injury with a two-week bill
Isaiah Stewart is not going to be there on opening night. The Memphis Grizzlies announced Saturday that their new center has a moderate left ankle sprain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
He got hurt in the first quarter of Monday’s preseason opener against the Atlanta Hawks. The timeline since is clear: he misses the home opener against the Utah Jazz on Oct. 21, and the Oct. 23 game against the Golden State Warriors is the earliest he could realistically be back.
no renewal
Free for 2 weeks.
A big arrival gets off to a rough start
Memphis acquired Stewart, 25, in an offseason trade with the Detroit Pistons. He is on a four-year, $60 million contract with a $15 million base salary this season, so the Grizzlies are paying real money for a player who now has to wait his turn.
Last season in Detroit he averaged 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in 22.7 minutes over 58 games, 13 of them starts. His 1.6 blocks per game were a career high. Memphis will have to find that interior production elsewhere for at least the first couple of games.
Availability has been the story before
Portland drafted Stewart 16th overall in 2020 and traded him to Detroit soon after. His reputation has come with a rough edge. The NBA has suspended him five times, most recently last February for seven games after he left the bench during a brawl.
For now the issue is an ankle, not a suspension. The next update comes in two weeks.
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