NBA Rumors: Grizzlies injury woes continue with star Desmond Bane set to miss significant time

The 2023-24 NBA season has been an injury-riddled campaign for the Memphis Grizzlies. Premier guard Desmond Bane is the latest victim. Per ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Bane has a Grade 3 left ankle sprain and will miss at least the next six weeks.

Bane joins All-NBA point guard Ja Morant (out for the season, shoulder), 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart (out for approximately six weeks, finger), and veteran center Steven Adams (out for the season, knee) on the lengthy list of high-impact Grizzlies players slated to miss extended time.

Will Desmond Bane return this season?

Sitting at 14-25 and in 13th place in the Western Conference standings, Memphis trails the Houston Rockets by 5.5 games for the final spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Approaching the season's midpoint, the Grizzlies are falling out of playing contention. Given their record and the current roster situation, Bane's return to the court is far from certain.

The injury couldn't come at a much worse time for the fourth-year guard out of TCU, who was in the midst of a breakout campaign before going down with an ankle injury during the Grizzlies' loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, Jan. 12.

Through 37 games this season, Bane was averaging career-highs in points (24.4), assists (5.3), and three-pointers made (3.3) per game.

Turning 26 in June, Bane signed a five-year, $207 million contract extension with the Grizzlies last offseason that is set to kick in next season.

Firmly entrenching himself as one of the best guards in the NBA, filling the void left by Bane won't be easy for the Grizzlies. In his place, Memphis will lean on sharpshooter Luke Kennard, and second-year guard Vince Williams Jr. (who the team recently signed to a multi-year contract extension) will need to handle more minutes and on-ball responsibility.