Memphis Grizzlies big man Brandon Clarke will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season after suffering a high grade PCL sprain in his right knee, the team announced on Saturday afternoon.
Clarke, who has appeared in 64 games this season, has been one of the Grizzlies’ best interior players. His defensive versatility and rim-running ability on offense led to averages of 8.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 62.1% shooting from the field in a career-low 18.9 minutes per game.
Clarke suffered the injury during the first half of Wednesday’s loss against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Memphis often closed games with Clarke playing alongside of Jaren Jackson Jr. because of his ability to switch onto perimeter players. His career-low average of 18.9 minutes was in large part due to coming off of a major injury.
Clarke suffered a torn left Achilles in March 2023. After missing a year of game action, Clarke returned in March of 2024 and played six games last season.
Memphis still elected to be careful with Clarke in his first full season back from an Achilles tear.
The Grizzlies will now rely on Jackson, Santi Aldama and Zach Edey to fill bigger roles. Reserve bigs Jay Huff and Marvin Bagley could also be in line to receive more playing time.
What Brandon Clarke’s season-ending injury means for Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies (43-28) are currently the fifth seed in the Western Conference. This will likely be the second consecutive postseason that Memphis won’t have Clarke. He suffered a torn left Achilles in March 2023 and missed the playoffs.
Clarke was one of the team’s most impactful players in their one playoffs series win since 2019, when Clarke, Morant and Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins joined the team. Clarke averaged 16.5 points, nine rebounds and averaged 29.4 minutes off the bench in a 2022 first-round series win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With 11 regular season games and a potential difficult playoff opponent remaining, the Grizzlies must act fast in finding a solution to replacing Clarke.
Finding the best pairing with Jaren Jackson Jr.
One of the main reasons for Clarke’s importance was his ability to play alongside of Jackson. The two would often switch defensive assignments and had the ability cover a lot of area on the floor. This gave Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins the trust to close games with the tandem against quality opponents.
Grizzlies lineups featuring Jackson and Clarke are outscoring opponents by 8.2 points per 100 possessions this season, according to the NBA’s advanced stats tracking data. While that number is impressive, Memphis actually has a better net rating with Santi Aldama and Zach Edey playing alongside of Jackson.
Memphis has a 10.1 net rating when Edey or Aldama share the floor with Jackson.
Rebounding has been a major focal point. Clarke ranks second in total rebounding percentage for the Grizzlies behind Edey, but there is reason for optimism and limited drop-off in this area.
Lineups with Jackson and Clarke snagged 51.8% of total rebounds. The two-man combination of Jackson and Edey pulled in an impressive 57.1% of rebounds.
The only Grizzlies two-man lineup that had a higher total rebounding percentage? A combination of Aldama and Edey.
Aldama and Edey should be relied on to handle bigger roles playing together, but most importantly, alongside of Jackson. Memphis will play Jackson more minutes down the stretch, so best complimenting his skillset will be priority.
Reaching further into depth
Relying on three bigs is a tough task. One gets into foul trouble, and you’re left scrambling.
Memphis has Jay Huff and Marvin Bagley as other reserve options. Huff has had moments in the rotation, and his shooting has been what the team needed. Huff is averaging seven points while shooting 41.7% on 3-pointers.
However, there’s one major problem. Lineups with Huff alongside of Jackson have a -6.5 net rating. It’s the fourth-worst total of Grizzlies two-man lineups that have shared the floor for at least 150 minutes this season. Huff is also included in another one of those four lineups.
Bagley hasn’t gotten much playing time with Memphis yet, but he will surely have an opportunity to impress now. He has shown flashes of an above-the-rim finishing option for Morant on alley-oop passes. That’s something that Clarke specialized at and forced defenses to account for after setting screens.
If Memphis wants to use Bagley more, the clock is ticking. Eleven regular season games remain to figure out lineup pairings and how he can be a positive addition around Jackson, Morant and Desmond Bane.
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