With less than a week before the start of the 2025-26 NBA season, there was growing concern from Memphis Grizzlies fans that All-Star forward Jaren Jackson Jr. may not be ready for the start of the year after undergoing offseason surgery to repair a toe injury. Fortunately, on Wednesday, Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo calmed those concerns with his update on his star.
Jackson Jr. has been invaluable for the Grizzlies over the course of his seven-year career, serving as one of the best two-way forwards in all of basketball. Last season, Jackson Jr. was named to his second All-Star Game after recording 22.2 points per game to go along with 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game.
Naturally, Iisalo has received constant questions leading into the team’s upcoming regular season debut about Jackson’s potential availability, not giving too much of a clear answer on when a realistic return date would be for him.
However, on Wednesday, prior to their second-to-last preseason game against the Charlotte Hornets, Iisalo was able to share an update that Grizzlies fans have been looking forward to for months, revealing that Jackson would be suiting up for the game.
This comes since Jackson actually ended up being “weeks ahead of schedule” in his recovery, according to Iisalo
This update couldn’t have come at a more perfect time for Grizzlies fans, as Jackson will not only be available for the start of the regular season, but also get some valuable preseason reps both on Wednesday night and in their final preseason game against the Miami Heat on Friday.
It will certainly be interesting to see how the Grizzlies look this coming season in Tuomas Iisalo’s first full year as the head coach after taking over at the end of the season for Taylor Jenkins.
Questions still surround the Grizzlies on the injury front, as Ja Morant is dealing with an ankle injury that puts his status for the team’s regular season debut in doubt. But on the bright side, Jackson Jr. return should certainly go a long way in helping carry the load should Morant be forced to miss any action in the regular season.
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This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 6:45 PM.