Fifth-year guard Scotty Pippen Jr. has a lumbar disc herniation in his back, the Grizzlies announced in their injury report ahead of Friday’s game, which marked his fourth straight absence (Twitter link).

While it’s unclear how much time Pippen will miss as a result of the injury, it often takes several weeks to recover from herniated discs, so the former Vanderbilt star could be facing an extended absence. We’ll have to wait for further clarity from the Grizzlies regarding Pippen’s status.

A former undrafted free agent who started his NBA career on a two-way deal with the Lakers, Pippen was limited to just 10 games played last season due to a pair of surgeries on his left and right big toes. He had made five appearances for Memphis this fall, averaging 6.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steal in 16.0 minutes per contest.

Here’s more on the Grizzlies:

• Offseason addition Isaiah Stewart was also out Friday due to a right knee bone bruise. The 25-year-old big man suffered the injury in Wednesday’s loss to Indiana and was unable to return to that contest. “Luckily, (it) looks like he avoided anything major,” head coach Tuomas Iisalo said Thursday (Twitter video link via Michael Wallace of Grind City Media). “We’re still looking for further evaluation … but he’s been able to walk around pretty normally.” Stewart, who did some rehab work during Thursday’s practice, per Wallace, has quickly become a locker-room leader for the young Grizzlies, Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal writes in a subscriber-only story.
• The Grizzlies started the season with a surprising 6-0 record but are now on a three-game losing streak after Friday’s blowout loss to Oklahoma City. Iisalo acknowledged the team’s “energy levels” were lower than normal on Friday but he was wary of reading much into that, since the players “have been working their butts off,” as Grind City Media relays (Twitter video link). The plan is to give the team the day off on Saturday, Iisalo added.
• 2023 second-round pick GG Jackson II was one of Memphis’ top players during the preseason but he received a DNP-CD on Friday after playing just seven minutes in Wednesday’s loss to Indiana, according to Cole (subscription required). Still just 21, the fourth-year forward had played between 15 and 21 minutes in six of the Grizzlies’ first seven games of 2026/27.