Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane will not be healthy until after season

Memphis Grizzlies breakout star Desmond Bane will not be fully healthy until after the 2022-23 season. During a podcast interview with JJ Redick and Tommy Alter on “The Old Man and the Three,” the third-year guard explained why he’s still struggling to recover from a grade 2 sprain of his right big toe.

“Bro, that s—t is no joke,” said Bane. “It was weird because when I first hurt my foot, it was like in the third quarter of the Timberwolves game. I ended up playing well, and I go to the locker room… and one of our pts [personal trainers] comes in and he’s like, ‘Yeah, I think you got turf toe…’” The full interview begins at the 14-minute mark in the YouTube video below.

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“I ended up seeing like three different doctors,” added Desmond Bane. “I mean, you use your big toe for everything: to push off, to jump. And I had like bone injury as well.

“My assessment is still in two pieces to this day right now. So, that’s something I’ll probably get taken care of in the offseason. You never know how much you need to use your big toe until you can’t use it.” Until then, the guard will play at less than 100%.

Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane will not be 100% healthy until after the 2022-23 season, plans to undergo surgery to repair right big toe during offseason

Bane missed 17 games this season due to his right big toe sprain. He suffered this injury in the Grizzlies’ 114-103 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov. 11. Of course, the guard has missed a total of 20 games.

However, the TCU product is playing fantastic. Through 21 starts, the Grizzlies guard is averaging career highs of 21.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. Plus, he’s shooting 43.5% from the field and 41.4% outside the arc.

Prior to his toe injury on Oct. 24, in Memphis’ 134-124 win over the Brooklyn Nets, the 24-year-old logged a career-high 38 points in 33 minutes of action. He finished 14-of-21 (66.7%) shooting from the floor and 8-of-11 (72.7%) from 3-point range.

In his first 12 starts this season, Bane averaged 24.7 points, 4.9 boards, and 4.8 assists before suffering his injury. Since returning from his toe sprain, the Grizzlies guard has logged 16.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game through nine starts.

His performance has dropped a bit offensively, but the second half of the season has yet to played. And he needs time to return to form. Bane could go back to averaging 20 points per game in the coming weeks. Staying healthy for the remainder of the season is also important. Preventing other injuries should be Bane’s top priority.