10/01/26 01:28:00
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10/01 13:26 CDT Zach Edey's oft-injured ankle the key to Memphis Grizzlies'
latest rebuilding project
Zach Edey's oft-injured ankle the key to Memphis Grizzlies' latest rebuilding
project
By CLAY BAILEY
Associated Press
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) --- Zach Edey stands out in any crowd at 7-foot-4 and
spinning the scales to the 300-pound line.
Unfortunately for the Memphis Grizzlies, Edey spent much of last season in
street clothes watching team huddles while sidelined by his left ankle.
Now the two-time AP College Player of the Year at Purdue and ninth pick overall
in 2024 has to prove he's healthy after that ankle limited him to just 11 games
last season. How much success the young Grizzlies have in their latest
rebuilding effort depends heavily on Edey being available every night.
The soft-spoken Edey seems pleased with where he is early in the Grizzlies'
training camp.
"I feel more athletic than I did last year already," Edey said. "So now I'm
ready to go after the season and make the most of this opportunity that we've
got in front of us."
Edey started 55 of the 66 games he played as a rookie and averaged 9.2 points
and 8.3 rebounds a game. Edey got more comfortable and started becoming a
double-double threat as that season went on. He finished as an All-Rookie team
pick and was fifth in voting for Rookie of the Year.
The ankle has been an issue since his rookie season when he missed 12 games
with a sprained left ankle.
Edey had surgery in June 2025 to repair and restabilize the ankle after
spraining it again during offseason training. In that injury-shortened season,
he averaged 13.6 points on 63% shooting while grabbing 11.1 rebounds. He also
impacted games on the defensive end, adding a couple blocks a game.
A stress reaction in that ankle put Edey on the injured list in December, and
he wound up having another surgery in March that sidelined him for the rest of
the season. That last surgery tried to address ongoing discomfort and bone
stress in that ankle.
"I'm really locked into my body. I've never spent this much time just on
everything," Edey said Monday.
Now the Grizzlies hope they finally see what having Edey available for a season
means for a franchise that went 25-57 last season. Memphis traded F-C Jaren
Jackson Jr. to Utah in February, then sent guard Ja Morant to Portland in June
to finish a housecleaning that shifted the focus to youth.
"He's exactly where we hoped he would be at this point in time," Grizzlies
general manager Zach Kleiman said Monday of Edey's rehab. The center has been
cleared for full-court activity and Memphis expects Edey will be ready when it
opens the season Oct. 21 against Utah.
Edey certainly will fill what had been a big hole in the Grizzlies lineup
without him. His size is the foundation of Memphis' youth movement with his
presence in the paint an intimidating factor. He will be paired with rookie
power forward Cam Boozer, the No. 3 overall pick out of Duke.
The duo will be a heavy focus for the Grizzlies' offense, and they worked out
together before training camp started to begin building timing and chemistry.
"Being 7-4, he can really change the game offensively and defensively," Boozer
said. "He's just a paint-patroller. I think it is going to be a lot of fun."
The Grizzlies, who picked up Edey's rookie scale option for this season, appear
to have hedged their bets on his ankle staying healthy. They added Isaiah
Stewart, another big enforcer from Detroit, and signed free agent 7-footer
Quinten Post from Golden State.
Stewart can't wait to play with Edey: "I'm happy I'm on the team with Zach
because he's a big body."
Expectations for how Memphis fares this season rest heavily on Edey and his
ankle. Even if the Grizzlies' key players stay healthy, they may be a year or
two from making a playoff push in the Western Conference.
"We don't have any specific goals. We just want to win," Edey said. "We want to
show people that they're just wrong about us."
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