Zach Edey has been cleared for full-court work, putting Memphis’ 7-foot-4 center on track for the Grizzlies’ Oct. 21 season opener against Utah after a left-ankle problem reduced him to 11 games last season.
| Category | Figure |
|---|---|
| Height | 7-foot-4 |
| 2024 draft position | No. 9 overall |
| Rookie season games | 66 played, 55 starts |
| Rookie averages | 9.2 points, 8.3 rebounds |
| Injury-shortened season | 11 games |
| Production in those games | 13.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 63% shooting |
| Memphis record last season | 25-57 |
| Season opener | Oct. 21 vs. Utah |
For Memphis, the medical update is bigger than a routine camp checkpoint. Edey spent much of last season in street clothes, watching from the side as the Grizzlies’ roster was reshaped around younger players. He said he already feels more mobile than he did a year ago and is eager to take advantage of the chance in front of him.
The ankle has followed Edey from his first NBA season. He missed 12 games as a rookie with a left-ankle sprain, then suffered another sprain during offseason training. Surgery in June 2025 was intended to repair and stabilize the joint. A stress reaction sent him back to the injured list in December, and a March procedure ended his season while addressing lingering pain and bone stress.
Edey said he has taken a far more complete approach to maintaining his body during the recovery process, saying he has never put this much work into every part of it.
Before the injury interruptions, the former Purdue star had begun to establish the kind of interior presence Memphis expected when it selected him ninth in the 2024 draft. He made the All-Rookie team and finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting after averaging 9.2 points and 8.3 rebounds across 66 games. His later stretch suggested a reliable double-double threat, and in his 11 games last season he added roughly two blocks per night to his scoring and rebounding output.
Memphis builds around size again
The Grizzlies have removed much of the old hierarchy from the roster. Jaren Jackson Jr. was traded to Utah in February, and Ja Morant was sent to Portland in June. That reset places Edey near the center of the next build, both literally and structurally.
General manager Zach Kleiman said Edey is where the organization wanted him to be at this stage of rehab. Memphis expects its center to be available when Utah comes to town for opening night.
Edey is set to share the frontcourt with rookie power forward Cam Boozer, the No. 3 selection from Duke. The two worked together before camp opened, trying to establish timing before the regular-season minutes begin. Boozer called Edey a player capable of changing games at both ends, pointing to his ability to control the paint.
Memphis has also built some insurance into its big-man group. The club picked up Edey’s rookie-scale option, added Isaiah Stewart from Detroit and signed 7-footer Quinten Post in free agency after his time with Golden State. Stewart said he is glad to be on Edey’s side, describing him as a powerful presence.
The Grizzlies may still be a season or two away from a serious Western Conference playoff chase, even with a healthy roster. But their chances of moving out of the league’s lower tier change considerably if Edey can hold the middle every night. He said the group is not putting a fixed target on the season; the objective is to win and prove outside doubts wrong.
