Grizzlies wing Desmond Bane underwent surgery on Tuesday to address a fracture of the medial sesamoid bone in his right big toe, the team announced in a press release (Twitter link). The expectation is that Bane will be fully recovered before the 2023/24 season begins.
Bane sustained the injury, which was initially diagnosed as a sprain rather than a break, on November 11. He missed Memphis’ next 17 games before returning to action on December 23.
Although Bane played through the injury for most of the year, he acknowledged in January during a podcast appearance that he’d probably have to get it “taken care of” during the offseason. “You never know how much you need to use your big toe until you can’t use it,” the 24-year-old said at the time.
Bane averaged a career-high 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game in 58 appearances (31.7 MPG) during his third NBA season in 2022/23, making over 40% of his three-pointers for a third consecutive year. He’ll be eligible for a rookie scale extension this offseason and appears to be in line for a significant payday.
With Ja Morant possibly facing a lengthy suspension to begin the 2023/24 season, Bane will be in position to take on a larger role on the court for the Grizzlies this fall as long as he’s back to full health. He’ll also likely be counted on to assume more leadership responsibilities in the locker room, given that Morant – Memphis’ ostensible franchise player – continues to make negative headlines off the court.
Hope it wasn’t his trigger toe
Unintentional discharge
I hope he didn’t shoot himself in the foot…