Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Done for season with torn Achilles
Rotowire
Clarke suffered a season-ending left Achilles tear during Friday's loss to the Nuggets, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
The season-ending injury is a tough blow for the Grizzlies and Clarke, who just signed a four-year, $50 million contract extension in October. In his 19.5 minutes per game this season, the center averaged 10.0 points on 65.6 percent shooting, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Players can often take a year or more to fully recover from Achilles surgery, so there's a chance Clarke may not be available again until close to next season's playoffs. In his absence, more minutes should be available for Santi Aldama, Jake LaRavia, Xavier Tillman and other frontcourt options.
Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Suffers lower leg injury
Rotowire
Clarke suffered a left lower leg injury Friday against the Nuggets and will not return.
This was a non-contact injury for Clarke, and he exited the arena in a golf cart, indicating the injury could be serious. If Clarke does end up missing time, the Grizzlies could use a committee approach to soak up his minutes with Santi Aldama and Xavier Tillman possibly getting more run.
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Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Coming off bench
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Clarke will come off the bench Saturday against the Nuggets, Rob Fischer of Bally Sports Southeast reports.
After two consecutive starts, Clarke heads back to the bench while Xavier Tillman gets the nod. In Clarke's past six games as a reserve, he's averaged 10.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 20.2 minutes.
Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Pads defensive stats in start
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Clarke compiled eight points (4-8 FG), 10 rebounds, four blocks, three steals and three assists across 31 minutes in Wednesday's 117-111 win over Utah.
After coming off the bench in each of the past six games, Clarke drew the starting nod at center over Xavier Tillman, who was limited to just 12 minutes in a reserve role. While Clarke's performance in the two defensive categories was undeniably impressive, it's tough to rely on him continuing to fill a 30-minute starting role, given the recent pattern in which head coach Taylor Jenkins has deployed his centers. Moreover, the Grizzlies could get Steven Adams (knee) back coming out of the All-Star break, in which case Clarke would likely settle into a full-time bench role while Tillman would likely drop out of the rotation.
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Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Starting Wednesday
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Clarke will replace Xavier Tillman in the starting lineup for Wednesday's matchup with the Jazz, Rob Fischer of Bally Sports Southeast reports.
Joining Clarke in the first unit for Wednesday's game will be Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks and Jaren Jackson Jr. Across six starts this season, Clarke has registered averages of 13.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 0.5 blocks per contest on 73.9 percent shooting from the field and 70 percent at the stripe.
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Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Solid day off bench
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Clarke finished Sunday's 119-109 loss to the Celtics with 14 points (7-8 FG, 0-3 FT) and two rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench.
The fourth-year big has remained on the second unit for six straight games while Xavier Tillman starts at center in place of Steven Adams (knee), but Clarke has been the more consistently productive option of the two. Over those six games, Clarke's averaging 10.8 points, 5.7 boards and 1.5 assists in 20.2 minutes a game.
Clarke finished with 13 points (5-9 FG, 3-3 FT) and 13 rebounds in 25 minutes during Tuesday's 104-89 win over the Bulls.
Clarke made the most of his minutes off the bench and recorded his first double-double of the season since posting a 20-point, 10-rebound effort against the Lakers on Jan. 20. Clarke has scored in double figures in five of his last seven outings, including in each of the three starts he made during that span. The Grizzlies have pivoted to Xavier Tillman as their interim starting center, but Clarke should continue to see a slight bump in role as long as Steven Adams (knee) is sidelined.
Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Limited production Thursday
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Clarke provided 10 points (5-7 FG), three rebounds and one block in 21 minutes during Thursday's 128-113 loss to the Cavaliers.
Clarke remained with the second unit in the loss, a move that has resulted in his production falling of late. After initially moving into the starting lineup when Steven Adams (knee) went down, Clarke was rightfully added across most formats. While his last two performances have been unflattering, managers may want to hold a little longer, just to see what happens next. Thursday was a blowout, meaning Clarke wasn't called upon down the stretch. It may be wise to give him another game or two to see if he can get things turned around.
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Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Coming off bench Wednesday
Rotowire
Clarke will come off the bench for Wednesday's matchup against the Trail Blazers, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports.
It appears coach Taylor Jenkins will continue to start Xavier Tillman against bigger centers and Clarke against smaller ones. Given the matchup with Portland against Jusuf Nurkic, Tillman is getting the nod over Clarke. In terms of workload, it may depend on game flow, so there's a chance Clarke still ends up seeing significant action. It's a tough situation for fantasy managers to be in, but over the course of a week, things should balance out enough for Clarke to be worth rostering in normal-to-deep formats. Over the past four games with Steven Adams (knee) out, Clarke has averaged 13.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals in 22.5 minutes while shooting an impressive 72.4 percent from the field.
