Steven Adams' 2023-24 NBA season is over before it began with the Memphis Grizzlies announcing the veteran center will undergo surgery on his right knee.
It appears the procedure is tied to the knee trouble that sidelined Adams in January and forced him to miss the second half of that season along with the playoffs.
The 30-year-old suited up for a pair of preseason games, finishing with nine points, 10 rebounds and two blocks over 27 minutes on the floor. It looked like his status for the regular season wasn't too much in doubt—maybe he'd have a more gradual transition back to the rotation that would cause him to miss a few games at the outset.
Jaren Jackson Jr. might be the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, but he can only do so much to anchor a frontcourt that's now down two key players between Adams and Brandon Clarke, who's still rehabbing from a torn Achilles.
Josh Eberley 🇨🇦 @JoshEberleyNo Adams, no Clarke, Tyus is gone, Dillon is gone, Ja is missing at least 25 games. <br><br>Grizzlies going to have to replace fill almost exactly 25% of their total minutes last year with: Marcus Smart, Derrick Rose, Xavier Tillman, and a bevy of their youth projects.
Memphis' performance undoubtedly suffered after Adams' injury last year. When he was healthy, the team ranked second in offensive rebounding rate (33.8 percent) and overall rebounding (52.6 percent), per NBA.com. From Jan. 23 on, it was 22nd (26.0 percent) and 25th (48.1 percent) in those two categories.
Without Adams prowling around the basket, the Los Angeles Lakers also shot 46.3 percent from the floor in the first round against the Grizzlies.
The spotlight will be on fourth-year center Xavier Tillman to see whether he can be an adequate replacement for Adams and help Memphis achieve what are lofty expectations.
