Kiwi centre Steven Adams will have right knee surgery and miss Memphis Grizzlies' 2023/24 NBA season.
The Grizzlies say the surgery on Adams' right cruciate ligament is necessary, because "non-operative rehabilitation did not resolve ongoing knee instability".
Adams sprained the ligament as he dove for a loose ball in a 112-110 loss to Phoenix Suns on January 22. It was originally estimated he'd miss 3-5 weeks, but after a stem cell injection on March 8, he was ruled out for the season.
He played in two pre-season games for the Grizzlies, scoring nine points and grabbing 10 rebounds in 27 total minutes.
Adams, 30, played in 42 games last season and averaged 8.6 points, a career-high 11.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 blocks per game.
The No.12 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by Oklahoma City, he has played with the Thunder (2013-20), New Orleans Pelicans (2020/21) and Grizzlies.
He has career averages of 9.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 blocks in 706 games (641 starts).
Xavier Tillman is next on the depth chart for the Grizzlies. Tillman, 24, averaged 7.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in 61 games (29 starts) last season.
In 173 career games (43 starts), all with Memphis, he has averages of 6.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
Reuters
