Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Done for season with torn Achilles
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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.
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Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Suffers lower leg injury
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Productive again in start
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Clarke accumulated 15 points (5-9 FG, 5-5 FT), seven rebounds, three assists and three steals across 28 minutes during Friday's 111-100 loss to the Timberwolves.
Clarke remained in the starting lineup Friday, turning in another productive game. With Steven Adams (knee) set to miss up to five weeks, Clarke appears as though he will be the primary beneficiary. Head coach Taylor Jenkins has already alluded to the fact he could change his starting lineup based on the opponent. However, Clarke should still play significant minutes, even when coming off the bench, making him a must-add player across most formats.
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Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Nears double-double in start
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Clarke contributed 19 points (8-10 FG, 3-4 FT), eight rebounds, two assists and one steal in 32 minutes during Wednesday's 122-120 loss to the Warriors.
Clarke got the start in the absence of Steven Adams (knee), who is now slated to miss 3-to-5 weeks. His 32 minutes played are his second-highest total of the season, and he certainly made the most of his opportunities with a well-rounded performance. It is unclear if Clarke will remain in the starting lineup as we advance or if coach Taylor Jenkins was matching up with the Warriors' small ball lineup. Whoever takes over for Adams will be on the fantasy radar in 12 and 14-team leagues and should have streaming appeal in 10-team formats.
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Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Starting against Warriors
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Clarke is in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Warriors, Anthony Slater of The Athletic reports.
Clarke will start over the injured Steven Adams (knee), and he will partner with Jaren Jackson in the frontcourt against a relatively small Warriors lineup that will feature Jonathan Kuminga and Draymond Green as frontcourt players. Clarke has averaged 11.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in three starts this season.
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Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Posts first double-double of month
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Clarke produced 20 points (7-7 FG, 6-10 FT), 10 rebounds, two blocks and one steal over 22 minutes during Friday's 122-121 loss to the Lakers.
Clarke didn't miss from the field Friday, making all seven of his attempts en route to his second-highest scoring mark of the campaign. The fourth-year forward also pulled down 10 boards -- five of which came on the offensive end -- to record his fifth double-double of the season and his first since Dec. 23. It's hard to fault Clarke's performance against Los Angeles. However, his big numbers were somewhat soured by his missed free throw with 1.2 seconds remaining, preventing Memphis from tying the score.
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Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Produces well in return
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Clarke (hip) tallied 11 points (4-4 FG, 3-4 FT), three steals, two rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes off the bench in Saturday's 130-112 win over the Pacers.
Clarke rejoined the rotation after missing the Grizzlies' first six games of January with the hip injury, nearly matching frontcourt starters Jaren Jackson (22 minutes) and Steven Adams (22 minutes) in playing time. Fellow reserve big man Santi Aldama (26 minutes) also saw plenty of run, so head coach Taylor Jenkins may have just been opting to take it easy on some of the Grizzlies' top players against an overmatched opponent. In more competitive matchups, Clarke could see his playing time trend closer to 15 minutes, making it tough to rely on him in anything shallower than a 14-team category league.
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Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Active to face Pacers
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Clarke (hip) is active and will play Saturday against the Pacers.
The return of Clarke represents a huge boost for a Memphis team that is currently dealing with several injuries, including to Dillon Brooks (ankle) and John Konchar (illness). Clarke has been sidelined since Dec. 31, and his return would limit the minutes available for Xavier Tillman.
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Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Likely to play Saturday
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Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said Clarke (hip) is likely to play in Saturday's tilt against the Pacers, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star reports.
Clarke was initially handed a questionable tag due to soreness in his left hip but is slated to play in Saturday's contest. He has been sidelined since Dec. 31 due to the issue, and his return would lessen the workload of Xavier Tillman.
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Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Claims questionable tag Saturday
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Clarke (hip) has been upgraded to questionable on the injury report for Saturday's game versus the Pacers.
Clarke hasn't appeared in a game since New Year's Eve and wasn't expected back quite yet, so his upgrade to questionable on the injury report from the typical out designation is a pleasant surprise. However, his status doesn't appear concrete one way or the other, so it will still be worth monitoring the big man's status ahead of the 7 PM ET opening tipoff.
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Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Likely out another week
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Clarke (hip), who has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Spurs, is unlikely to return until next week, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal reports.
Clarke will miss a fifth consecutive game Monday, and coach Taylor Jenkins said that the 26-year-old will be back "hopefully sometime next week." As a result, Clarke should be sidelined Wednesday against San Antonio and Saturday against the Pacers, and he'll focus on his recovery in hopes of returning next week.
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Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Remains out
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Clarke (hip) has been ruled out for Monday's matchup against San Antonio.
Clarke will miss a fifth straight game Monday due to left hip soreness. His next chance to suit up will come in a rematch against the Spurs on Wednesday.
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Grizzlies' Brandon Clarke: Still out against Utah
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Clarke (hip) is out for Sunday's game versus the Jazz.
Clarke's absence streak will extend to four games Sunday. His next chance to suit up will be the second leg of Memphis' back-to-back Monday versus the Spurs.
