Santi Aldama Downgraded to Doubtful as Knee Issue Scrambles Grizzlies Rotation

The NBA injury report is basically a daily randomized roulette wheel, and today the ball landed squarely on Santi Aldama. Underdog NBA relayed the news from Marc Stein that the forward has been downgraded to doubtful for Wednesday with a lingering knee issue.

When a guy gets a late downgrade with a generic knee designation, you just have to assume the worst and move on to the backup plan. It is the classic next-man-up scenario, which is just coach-speak for hoping the guys at the end of the bench remember the defensive rotations.

"Stein: Santi Aldama (knee) downgraded to doubtful Wednesday."

This is not a minor absence for a Memphis Grizzlies squad sitting at 6-1 and near the top of the Western Conference. Aldama has been quietly putting up a very respectable 14.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game this season while shooting nearly 48 percent from the floor.

Losing that kind of highly efficient frontcourt production is like losing your primary phone charger. You can survive with the cheap gas-station backup, but everything is going to take twice as long and feel incredibly annoying.

For the betting crowd, this completely scrambles the board. Taking 14 points and nearly seven boards out of the lineup means those usage rates have to go somewhere. The remaining Memphis role players suddenly become prime targets for inflated prop lines as the team tries to patch together the frontcourt minutes.

We will see if this knee issue is just a quick maintenance breather or the start of a longer stint in street clothes. Until the Grizzlies provide a concrete timeline for his return, expect the rotation to stay messy and keep your expectations firmly in check.