Grizzlies swingman Quincy Pondexter is expected to miss the rest of the season with a broken foot, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The team says it’s a tarsal navicular stress fracture in his right foot, according to a press release that lists Pondexter as out indefinitely. The Grizzlies have nonetheless confirmed to Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal that Pondexter is likely out for the year (Twitter link).
The 25-year-old sustained the injury Saturday in a game against the Warriors. He’d just signed a four-year, $14MM rookie scale extension before the October 31st deadline. Concerns about his foot likely helped prompt the team’s interest in signing a free agent guard. Memphis is reportedly bringing Kendall Marshall, Seth Curry, Darius Morris and Reggie Williams in for workouts. The Grizzlies have the minimum 13 players on their roster, meaning there’s room for as many as two additions.
Pondexter was averaging slightly fewer minutes than last season, when he set career highs in nearly every category. His three-point shooting has been off as well, with the former 26th overall pick having connected on 32.4% of his three-point attempts compared to 39.5% last year. It’s nonetheless a significant loss for a 9-10 team already reeling from a long-term injury to Marc Gasol. Pondexter’s absence could mean more playing time for rookies Nick Calathes and Jamaal Franklin, depending any roster moves the team makes.