The Grizzlies’ woes only continue to grow.
With Ja Morant out for at least two games, Brandon Clarke, a key forward for Memphis, is out for the rest of the season with a torn Achilles.
And to make matters worse, Dillon Brooks, one of the Grizzlies’ top scorers, was suspended one game after receiving his 16th technical foul of the season on Friday against the Nuggets.
Clarke’s teammates called his season-ending injury “emotional” and “extremely tough,” according to The Daily Memphian.
The 26-year-old is a valuable bench presence for the Grizzlies, who averaged 10 points and 5.5 rebounds a game this season before the injury.
Brooks, who is currently the NBA leader in technical fouls, received the technical while getting into a spat with Nuggets center Nikola Jokic.
For the rest of the season, the Grizzlies wing will now be fined $5,000 for each tech and be suspended for one game for every two more technicals he receives.
Morant has fallen under scrutiny after being involved in a number of troubling off-court activities, including allegedly waving a gun in a teenager’s face and threatening a mall security guard.
Morant’s antics reached a boiling point after he posted himself on Instagram Live seemingly waving a gun at a club on early Saturday morning.
The Grizzlies announced Morant will miss at least two games following the latest incident.
Morant additionally said in a statement he takes “full responsibility” for his actions and is taking time to learn “better methods of dealing with stress.”
He later deleted his Instagram and Twitter accounts following the debacle.
Memphis, one of the youngest teams in the NBA, will look to keep their second spot in the Western Conference – even with some of their key contributors out for the foreseeable future.
The Grizzlies currently hold a 38-24 record.
