Five years of the watchman Scottie Pippen Jr I have a herniated lumbar disc in my back, Grizzlies announced on the injury report ahead of Friday’s game, his fourth straight absence (Link to Twitter).
While it is unclear how much time Pippen will miss with the injury, it often takes several weeks to recover from a herniated disc, so the former Vanderbilt star could face a long absence. We’ll have to wait for further clarity on Pippen’s status.
A former undrafted free agent who began his NBA career on a two-way contract with the Lakers, Pippen was limited to just 10 games last season due to a pair of hip surgeries. on the left and right big toes. He played in five games for Memphis this fall, averaging 6.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steals in 16.0 minutes per game.
Here’s more about Grizzly:
- Off-season supplement Isaiah Stewart also sat out Friday with a sprained right kneecap. The 25-year-old big man was injured in Wednesday’s loss to Indiana and was unable to return for that contest. “Fortunately, (it) looks like he escaped anything serious“, head coach Tuomas Iisala said thursday (Link to video on Twitter via Grind City Media’s Michael Wallace). “We’re still waiting for further testing…but he was able to walk pretty normally.” Stewart, who was rehabbing during Thursday’s practice, according to Wallace, has quickly become a locker room leader for the young Grizzlies. DeMichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes in history only for subscribers.
- The Grizzlies started the season with a surprising 6-0 record, but are now on a three-game losing streak after Friday’s loss to Oklahoma City. Iisala admitted that the team’s “energy level” was below normal on Friday, but he was wary of reading that as the players were “stressing out,” according to Grind City Media (Link to video on Twitter). It is planned to give the team a day off on Saturday, Iisalo added.
- 2023 second round pick H. G. Jackson II was one of Memphis’ best players during the preseason, but he received a DNP-CD on Friday after playing just seven minutes in Wednesday’s loss to Indiana. according to Cole (subscription required). The fourth-year forward, still just 21, has played between 15 and 21 minutes in six of the Grizzlies’ first seven games of the 2026-27 season.
