Taylor Jenkins: Grizzlies Seeking Help, Frontcourt Addition a Possibility

It’s safe to say the Grizzlies are hurting a bit — OK, a lot — in the frontcourt this season.

Forward Brandon Clarke was already expected to miss much of the season with an Achilles injury. And then it was announced Sunday that center Steven Adams will miss the season with a knee injury.

So what’s coach Taylor Jenkins to do? That seems to be the question.

Theoretically, the Grizzlies will sign someone, cheap, to at least give the frontcourt a little boost. There’s also the possibility of a trade. Right now, all they can do is cross their fingers and make the best of it.

Jenkins acknowledged that a frontcourt addition is indeed a possibility.

“I’m working with (general manager Zach Kleiman) on that,” Jenkins said, via Damichael Cole of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. “There is more to come, for sure. We are having great dialogues right now, you know, with the newness of the news over the weekend. We will sit down and process where this team is at and how we can move forward.”

Jenkins went on to say that no matter what the Grizzlies do next, losing Adams is sure to leave a mark.

“You’re not going to replace him,” Jenkins said. “We understand that, but we all got to take that onus knowing that if that’s winning basketball and we got to (rebound) at an elite level, we can do it collectively. too.”

The possibility exists that power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. could move over to center, though that could lead to foul issues for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Also, he hasn’t exactly been a world-class rebounder.

He said he knows his game will need to be raised in that area.

“I got to (rebound) even more, like way more,” Jackson said. “I got to be way better just in terms of that end of the floor. That’s something (Adams) is the best in the world at. I already had to do that better with him on the floor, and I gotta to do it even better with him not on the floor.”

• Memphis will be granted a player exception after the first five games. That said, they are also without suspended star Ja Morant for the first 25.
• Free agent big men Khem Birch, Bismack Biyombo and Wenyen Gabriel are among those who might make sense for the Grizzlies. We have a full list of available free agents here.