Brandon Clarke of the Memphis Grizzlies will miss the remainder of the year. He suffered a torn Achilles in the loss to the Denver Nuggets on March 3rd. The hits just keep piling on for the second-seeded Grizzlies. Not only did they suspend Ja Morant for two games after his latest incident, they will also be without Dillon Brooks for at least one game after he got his 16th technical foul of the year. Now, they will also be without a key part of their bench, Brandon Clarke, which could be crucial come postseason time.
Brandon Clarke Out for Season
Recent Struggles for the Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies were one of the biggest surprises this season. However, they have faltered as of late. Most people already know about Ja Morant’s recent struggles, but the team as a whole has not been the same since the All-Star Break. They are barely above .500 since the All-Star Game and the one seed in the Western Conference seems to be out of reach after their latest defeat. If anything, the Sacramento Kings are now breathing down there necks for the second seed as they are only 1.5 games back of the Grizzlies. The regular season is starting to wind down, so the team needs to regroup if they want to maintain control of their second position in the Western Conference. However, it will be a bit of a challenge without key players such as Brandon Clarke.
Brandon Clarke’s Impact for Memphis
Brandon Clarke helps provide depth to Memphis’ second unit. The Canadian American NBA player was having a respectable campaign this season. He was averaging 10.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and an efficient 65.6 percent shooting from the field. On top of this, Clark is also averaging a career-best defensive rating at 108 to go along with a player efficiency rating of true shooting percentage of 68.2 percent, another career-best. He is also tallying a respectable player efficiency rating of 20.1 coupled with a box plus/minus of 2.6. He is a smart player who knows his role and has became a staple for the Memphis second unit. To say his presence will be missed would be an understatement. Losing Clark for the remainder of the year will seriously hurt the Grizzlies’ chances at a title. Brandon Clarke has already carved out a name for himself as an underrated contributor in his short career.
