Memphis Grizzlies big man Isaiah Stewart and point guard Scotty Pippen Jr. are both expected to miss games with injuries.

Stewart left Wednesday's game against the Indiana Pacers with a right knee bone bruise, and Pippen suffered a lumbar disc herniation either during or after last week's game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Luckily for the Grizzlies, neither injury seems to be major. Coach Tuomas Iisalo gave an update on each player before Wednesday's game against Indiana and at practice today, respectively.

Per multiple reports from practice, Iisalo said today that Stewart avoided a major injury. He will be evaluated further and has been ruled out for Friday's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Iisalo on Isaiah Stewart’s status after Stew left Wednesday’s game with knee injury.

“Luckily, looks like he avoided anything major. We’re still looking for further evaluation…but he’s been able to walk around pretty normally.”

Stewart did rehab work at Thursday’s practice. https://t.co/rCVWBs5eZJ pic.twitter.com/HZu7eVJXa0

— Michael Wallace (@MyMikeCheck) November 5, 2026

Status Report for @memgrizz, 11/6/26 vs Oklahoma City:

OUT
Scotty Pippen Jr. - Lumbar Disc Herniation
Isaiah Stewart - RT Knee Bone Bruise

— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) November 5, 2026

Pippen's status is either day-to-day or week-to-week, depending on how his recovery goes, per multiple reports from Iisalo's pregame media availability on Wednesday.

Tuomas Iisalo said Scotty Pippen Jr. is likely day-to-day or week-to-week depending on how he progresses. Sounds like he avoided a long-term injury. Positive news for Memphis

— Damichael Cole (@DamichaelC) November 4, 2026

While neither player is expected to miss a large portion of the time, Memphis still has to make adjustments to the rotation while Stewart and Pippen are sidelined. The good news for the Grizzlies is the adjustment at the point guard position should not be difficult with the performance of a third-year sharpshooter.

Cam Spencer stepping up in Pippen's absence

Cam Spencer has filled in nicely as the full-time backup point guard in Pippen's absence. Spencer was playing a valuable role even before Pippen went down, but he has now taken on the sole responsibility of being Memphis' reserve point guard.

In the past four games, Spencer has averaged nine assists per contest. He developed well last season as a passer playing on-ball in the absence of Memphis' primary point guards, and that has translated to this season. The facilitation ability paired with Spencer's world-class shooting makes him a major piece on a young and fast-ascending Grizzlies team. Spencer is shooting 57.1 percent from three so far this season.

KILLA CAM SPENCER pic.twitter.com/TMjK9ufnHp

— eric (@EricTweetsNBA) November 5, 2026

As far as lineup construction goes, Iisalo could have some flexibility using Spencer and Ty Jerome together. The two guards played together sparingly against the Pacers, and having Jerome off ball while keeping the shooting threat of Spencer on the floor could open up opportunities for the Grizzlies' offense.

Another layer to add to it is Cam Boozer. By throwing him in the mix with Jerome and Spencer, there is all of a sudden a lot of high-level shooting and playmaking on the floor. With teams starting to really key in on Jerome amid his early-season success, giving him some relief could go a long way for Memphis.

Wing rotation goes deeper in Stewart's absence

Obviously, Quenten Post will see more minutes without Stewart in the fold. However, there could also be an increase in playing time for guys like Kris Murray, Jerami Grant, GG Jackson, or even Olivier-Maxence Prosper.

While Stewart is the Grizzlies' primary backup center, he also has the versatility to play the four at times. Memphis is without that option for the time being, and there is not a direct replacement off the bench for that style of lineup. Because of that, the Grizzlies could go smaller more often at that position off the bench, so there is more opportunity for some of the wings.

Jackson has been up and down this season, and he has been the primary backup four. The Grizzlies went to Prosper briefly against the Pacers, and Jackson only played seven minutes in the game. Iisalo said the team was looking for energy in the move, and Prosper provided what Iisalo was looking for.

Murray has been in the rotation at times and has seen an increase in minutes lately without Pippen. He was once seen as a player on the bubble to make the roster, but Memphis obviously likes him and is giving him the opportunity to find a role.

Another possibility is Boozer getting more minutes at the five. While rim protection suffers in those lineups, it presents defenses with a tall task due to the dynamic offense the Grizzlies could get with Boozer's skill set at center. It could especially help in certain matchups like New Orleans on Monday with Karlo Matkovic and Derik Queen. Zach Edey and Post struggle defensively with perimeter-oriented big men, so Boozer's positional quickness could be useful.