Isaiah Stewart to Be Reevaluated in Two Weeks After Ankle Sprain

Isaiah Stewart sprained his left ankle in the first quarter of the Memphis Grizzlies' preseason opener Monday in Atlanta, and he will be reevaluated in two weeks.

The Grizzlies called the sprain moderate in a medical update released Friday.

Monday's game was Stewart's first for Memphis. He played two minutes at State Farm Arena and finished with one rebound in a 132-123 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo said Oct. 6 that Stewart had not practiced and would not play the next night against the Orlando Magic at FedExForum, The Commercial Appeal reported.

"With Stew out, there's going to be some mixing and matching," Iisalo said. "Always trying to do what's best for the team. Whether it's trying to find new lineups or stabilize those."

Memphis agreed to send three future second-round picks to the Detroit Pistons for Stewart on June 24, during the second round of the NBA draft. ESPN's Shams Charania first reported the deal.

They were the same three picks Detroit had sent Memphis the night before in a swap that moved the Pistons up to No. 17, where they drafted Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie, Charania reported.

Stewart is making $15 million this season. His $15 million salary for 2027-28 is a team option, and the Grizzlies have until June 29, 2027, to decide on it.

Portland drafted Stewart out of Washington with the No. 16 pick in 2020. Within a week, he had been traded to Houston and then to Detroit, where he spent his first six seasons.

Last season, Stewart averaged 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 58 games, all off the bench. He played 22.7 minutes per game and shot 55% from the field. Stewart finished seventh in Sixth Man of the Year voting.

Detroit won 60 games for the first time in 20 years and earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference. The Cleveland Cavaliers eliminated the Pistons in Game 7 of the second round.

In March, Detroit announced Stewart would miss at least a week with a left calf strain.

Memphis went 25-57 last season.

Quinten Post started at center against the Hawks and had eight points and four rebounds in 12 minutes. He shot 3-of-6 from the field, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range.

Zach Edey, the only Grizzlies player who did not appear Monday, made his preseason debut two nights later in a 122-118 loss to Orlando, and Post went back to the bench.

Edey played 10 minutes against the Magic. It was his first game action since Dec. 7. Ankle problems limited the 7-foot-3 center to 11 games last season.

Taylor Hendricks led Memphis with six rebounds in Atlanta. Against Orlando, he scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting in just over 11 minutes.

Cameron Boozer, the third overall pick in June, had 11 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals against the Hawks. He followed with 16 points, six rebounds, and two assists against the Magic and went 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.

Friday's game against the Chicago Bulls at the United Center was the third of four on the Grizzlies' preseason schedule.

Memphis closes the preseason Oct. 16 against the Charlotte Hornets at FedExForum.

The Grizzlies open the regular season Oct. 21 against the Utah Jazz at FedExForum, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. CT. They play at the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 23.