Deni Avdija Ruled Out With Injury for Blazers vs. Grizzlies

Amid the best season of his career, Deni Avdija has struggled to stay on the court. The Portland Trail Blazers' first-time NBA All-Star has missed the last four games with a back injury. Unfortunately for the Blazers, Avdija is now set to miss his fifth straight.

After initially being listed as questionable for their road matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies due to low back injury management, the Blazers have downgraded Avdija to out for the cross-conference meeting.

The Blazers have gone just 1-3 in their last four games without Avdija in the lineup, and they desperately need him back with just 20 games left in the season.

Avdija's injury problems

Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija (8) heads to the locker room after suffering an injury against the Phoenix Suns in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Avdija went into the All-Star break banged up, but was able to suit up for the esteemed All-Star Game and returned to action for Portland in their first game out of the break. However, in the very next game, he tweaked his back just a minute into the first quarter.

Avdija has now missed nine of Portland's last 12 games, including his one-minute outing against the Phoenix Suns, on top of a pair of short injury absences in January.

The Blazers are currently sitting in tenth place in the Western Conference with a 29-33 record, five games ahead of the 11th-place Grizzlies. A win over the Grizzlies would further cement their spot in the play-in tournament, but with Avdija still out of the lineup, they could have more trouble than expected against a severely injured Memphis team.

The Grizzlies have ruled out ten players for the matchup, headlined by Ja Morant, Zach Edey, and Ty Jerome. Sure, the Blazers are dealing with some key injuries of their own, but they should still have a leg up on the Grizzlies.

DENI AVDIJA ICES THE WIN WITH HUSTLE 😤

DIVES FOR THE LOOSE BALL AFTER PORTLAND GETS THE STOP! pic.twitter.com/VbvZYHshI3
— NBA (@NBA) January 10, 2026

Avdija's impact in Portland

This season, Avdija is averaging 24.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game, while shooting 46.3% from the field and 34.1% from three-point range. In his sixth year in the NBA, Avdija has taken his game to the next level and is likely a top candidate for the Most Improved Player of the Year award.

Unfortunately, due to his injury concerns and not being able to consistently stay in the lineup, Avdija has not been as dominant recently. The Blazers have to be careful with managing Avdija's back injury moving forward, which could include limiting his minutes even when he does return.

It would have been very interesting to see Avdija playing at this level with a fully healthy Blazers roster, including star guard Damian Lillard, but that will have to wait another season. For now, the focus is getting Avdija back to 100% and seeing what this team can do in the play-in tournament and potentially beyond.

The Blazers and Grizzlies are set to tip off at 5:00 p.m. PT in Memphis.