What Jaren Jackson Jr.'s injury update means for the Grizzlies' early-season testing

The words Taylor Jenkins heard in the Grizzlies' media release after practice on October 21 were: “Jaren Jackson Jr. is out for the season…opening game.” The word “opener” is a big sigh of relief, considering the Grizzlies announced on the Sunday before last year's season opener that then-starting center Steven Adams was out for the season due to knee surgery.

After injuring his hamstring on the first day of training camp, Jaren Jackson Jr. was sidelined week-to-week with a mild strain. The expectation was always that he would be ready to play in the opening game of the season, even as recently as last Thursday when he sat out the Grizzlies' final preseason game.

However, as the team has begun working him back into 5-on-5 practices, he will likely make his season debut later in the week given his cautious conditioning. What does this latest news mean for the Grizzlies as the team battles a host of injuries to GG Jackson, Vince Williams Jr., Cam Spencer and Luke Kennard?

This isn't the first time the Grizzlies have dealt with an injury to Jaren Jackson Jr. early in their regular season. As he enters his seventh season in the NBA, it will be the third time the team will play a season opener without its star forward.

Entering his third 2020-21 NBA season, Jaren Jackson Jr. was recovering from a meniscus injury he suffered in the bubble just four months earlier. He missed most of the season, playing only eleven games. Without him, the team had a 34-27 record and made the playoffs, largely due to his signing late in the season.

After playing in 78 games in the Grizzlies' breakout year of 2021–22, Jackson suffered a broken foot injury the following summer that required surgery and missed the first 14 games of the 2022–23 season. The team started the season 9-5 and upon its return looked like a team capable of contending for an NBA championship before everything fell apart.

The starting power forward in place of Jaren Jackson Jr. this season was the same guy who will likely start in his place this season: Santi Aldama. With Brandon Clarke available as a backup and Zach Edey taking over the center position, the Grizzlies are prepared to deal with the loss of Jackson Jr. again for a shorter period of time than his previous two missed season openers.

With the Grizzlies opening the season with two road games before returning to Memphis for Saturday's home opener, Jaren Jackson Jr. will likely make his 2024-25 season debut on Oct. 26 at home against the Orlando Magic.