Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke stood at the scorer's table, pacing and appearing antsy as he waited for a whistle. Once a foul was called, Grizzlies fans inside FedExForum rose to their feet as Clarke checked into a basketball game for the first time since March 3, 2023.

At that moment, things felt normal for Clarke again, he said. But the previous 12 months had been anything but routine.

Clarke suffered a torn left Achilles last March in a a game against the Denver Nuggets. Since then, he rehabbed, underwent a cleanup procedure and pushed himself to get back just in time for the final 10 games of this NBA season

Clarke made his return in a 136-124 Grizzlies loss against the Los Angeles Lakers.

"It feels good," he said. "I'm glad to get that first game out the way. I've been thinking about it for a very long time. I wish that we could have won tonight, but it was fun to play again."

Clarke came off the bench and finished with six points and five rebounds in 21 minutes. He had three offensive rebounds and was a team-best plus-15 when on the floor.

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Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said Memphis will be careful with Clarke’s minutes, but his total on Wednesday was similar to that of the past two seasons – as was his role off the bench. Clarke admitted he was "tired" in the first half, but the second half was better.

"Obviously disappointed that we got the loss, but it was great to see him out there," Jenkins said. "I thought he brought great energy on both sides of the floor."

"We missed him bad," Desmond Bane said. "He was talking about how he played and he wish he could have done this and done that. We are all happy to have him out there, for sure."

Coming back from an Achilles injury is tough. There was a point in time in the NBA where that kind of injury likely signaled the end of a player’s career, or at least the best version.

Clarke remains confident he can be the instant offense option off the bench for Memphis. GG Jackson noticed how fast Clarke was, which was also one of his best attributes pre-injury. Another was his leaping ability.

Even though Clarke is back on the floor, the process isn’t fully completed just yet.

"I'm probably going to need a second," Clarke said. "It takes like two years to get all the way back fully. I'm jumping high though, still. I feel fine. It's really just about the wind, because if I get super tired, it gets a bit harder to jump. It's getting better, though."

Why Brandon Clarke wanted to return this season?

So much has changed around the Grizzlies since Clarke last played. When he was first inured, they were the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and primed for a playoff run. Memphis lost in the first round of the 2023 postseason, then came even more struggles.

Clarke has been rehabbing while Memphis went through a season filled with disappointing surprises. He kept his spirits upbeat, but he had teammates and people around him who were uplifting and could relate.

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Three years ago, Jaren Jackson Jr. missed most of the 2020-21 season before returning toward the end for a playoff push. He could relate to the process of counting down the days after a lengthy rehab.

"It's daunting," Jackson said. "It plays on your mind a lot. You think about how it's going to go for you in a lot of different ways. It's a lot to process."

When Clarke was injured, the hope was he too could return this season during a playoff push. Instead, he’s back after the Grizzlies were eliminated from playoff contention.

So why did Clarke come back? He was given the option to shut himself down for the season, but wanted to play after being "fed up" with watching.

"It matters a lot to me," Clarke said. "It's really just about getting the flow for next year."

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Inside Brandon Clarke's Memphis Grizzlies injury comeback, what's next