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[Saba Sports News] The Memphis Grizzlies’ challenging season persists, facing a significant dilemma in their recent game against the Boston Celtics. With Xavier Tillman, Derrick Rose, Vince Williams Jr., John Konchar, and Santi Aldama sidelined due to injuries just hours before the game, and Ziaire Williams and Jaren Jackson Jr. having been declared out the day prior, the team’s injury list expanded dramatically. These seven players joined other key absentees such as Brandon Clarke, Ja Morant, Marcus Smart, Desmond Bane, Jake LaRavia, and the recently added Victor Oladipo, totaling 13 players unavailable due to injuries.
This left Luke Kennard and David Roddy as the only two players on standard contracts from the season’s start to face the Celtics, supported by a makeshift lineup. The Grizzlies fielded three players on two-way contracts—Scotty Pippen Jr., GG Jackson, and Jacob Gilyard—and three players on 10-day hardship contracts—Trey Jemison, Matthew Hurt, and Tosan Evbuomwan—to reach the league’s minimum requirement of eight available players and avoid forfeiting the game.
Despite these adversities, under head coach Taylor Jenkins, the Grizzlies have shown commendable determination and competitiveness, highlighted by a three-game winning streak at the end of January and several narrow losses. The scenario of missing 13 players for a single game due to injury is remarkably rare, a situation not seen since a similar occurrence with the Celtics a few years back.