National Basketball Association

Injuries a concern as the Memphis Grizzlies host opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Two coaches make their debuts with their new clubs as the Memphis Grizzlies and David Fizdale play host to Tom Thibodeau’s Minnesota Timberwolves at the FedEx Forum Wednesday night.

The Memphis Grizzlies look to usher in a new era of basketball Wednesday night as coach David Fizdale searches for his first career head coaching win in the NBA. It won’t come easy, though, as the Minnesota Timberwolves and coach Tom Thobodeau look to start strong as they bring an end to their short-lived rebuilding stage and attempt to field a playoff contender in the Western Conference.

The Memphis Grizzlies’ $94 million man, Chandler Parsons, is slated to not dress for the game due to precautionary reasons coming from his knee injury suffered last season. It’s likely that James Ennis will fill in his place in the starting lineup for the time being.

While losing a sharpshooter in Parsons will hurt the Memphis Grizzlies’ offense, it may provide a better match-up on the defensive end should Ennis be matched up with Andrew Wiggins, one of the most athletic young studs in the league.

Speaking of defense, Tony Allen is listed as questionable due to his knee. Allen didn’t appear in any of the Grizzlies’ preseason games.

Marc Gasol is reportedly on a minutes restriction for Wednesday night, though Fizdale didn’t specify what that limit is. Karl-Anthony Towns, the Timberwolves’ standout sophomore center, carried over the momentum from his rookie of the year performance last season, scoring 17.3 points and grabbing 9.3 rebounds per game in the preseason despite only averaging 23.6 minutes per game.

Should Gasol, a former NBA Defensive Player of the Year reward recipient, not be able to log a lot of time on the court, the Memphis Grizzlies’ defense could be in for a long night, especially if Allen isn’t available to help out in shutting down guards Ricky Rubio and Zach LaVine.

Not to mention, Gasol’s revamped offensive game—the Spanish big man shot 40 percent from behind the arc during the preseason on 2.5 attempts per contest—is imperative to the Grizzlies’ success while Parsons is sidelined.  

The Minnesota Timberwolves field a completely healthy roster for opening night.

By the numbers

107.3: Points per game the Memphis Grizzlies scored during the preseason, tied for fourth in the NBA. The Grizzlies were 24th in the NBA with 99.1 points per game during the 2015-16 regular season.

13.2: Points per game in the preseason for Troy Williams, leading all NBA rookies.

7: Should Allen play, it’ll be the seventh consecutive year the Grizzlies “Core Four” have started together on opening night.

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