Portland Trail Blazers' Jerami Grant Cleared for Friday's Game Against Washington Wizards

The Portland Trail Blazers appear to have dodged a bullet with their starting forward. After being evaluated for a concussion during Wendnesday's 122-112 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Jerami Grant has been officially cleared and should be available for Friday night's matchup with the Washington Wizards.

Jerami Grant (concussion) has been upgraded to available for tonight’s game at the Wizards. #RipCity
— Aaron J. Fentress (@AaronJFentress) February 3, 2023

Grant banged his head on the court after a little under 20 minutes of play Wednesday. He finished his night with 18 points, three rebounds, and one assist on six of 12 shooting.

Grant has been a valuable and dependable starter for the Trail Blazers this season, averaging 21.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game with a solid .614 true shooting percentage across an impressive 49 starts. He's been one of the Blazers' most valuable players this season, behind only Damian Lillard and perhaps Anfernee Simons.

Despite a strong trio at the top of their roster, the Blazers are 25-26 and 11th in the Western Conference. In a densely-packed race for the playoffs, they still have a strong chance of fighting their way to the play-in tournament and even have an outside shot of earning a top-six seed. If Lillard can keep up his current scorching pace (39.1 ppg over his last 11 games), or the team does something dramatic at the trade deadline, the Blazers have a chance to make themselves heard in the postseason.

Following tonight's matchup with the Wizards, the Blazers will travel to Chicago to face the Bulls on Saturday in the second game of a back-to-back.