At just 22 years old, Victor Wembanyama has led a young Spurs team to the NBA Finals in just his third season. Wembanyama looks ready to take over the sport for years to come, and it's no surprise that teams are already looking for ways to slow him down. If the rebuilding Grizzlies ever want to overcome Victor Wembanyama's rise, any plan to limit him must start with Zach Edey.
Zach Edey was a polarizing prospect to some in the 2024 NBA Draft due to questions surrounding how his physicality and defense would look at the next level. Selected 9th overall, Edey has already started to erase those doubts and looks like a promising foundational piece. Unfortunately, there is one burning question that must be answered. Can Zach Edey stay healthy going forward?
We all began to witness a special defensive leap from Zach Edey and how much smoother the Grizzlies' offense functioned in the halfcourt with him on the floor. In the span of 11 games Edey played in, the Grizzlies had the 6th best net rating in the NBA while having a top-3 defensive rating. It will be essential to keep improving the roster, but Edey is already an incredible floor raiser.
Unfortunately, Zach Edey's left ankle is already looking like a valid concern. Despite playing 66 regular season games as a rookie and getting his first taste of playoff basketball, a left ankle sprain in the 2024 NBA Summer League contributed to multiple sprains and surgeries on the same ankle for Edey. It is scary given the fact that Edey had a remarkable injury record at Purdue and is a 7-footer.
A lot has to go right as the Grizzlies rebuild, but it will be essential to keep Edey healthy and improve the frontcourt depth around him.
The Grizzlies need a healthy Edey and additional frontcourt depth
The last few seasons have been an injury disaster for Grizzlies fans, and the hope is that Edey can put a challenging last 12 months behind him. Edey played as well as many fans could've hoped for in his second season, as he averaged 13.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.5 stocks (steals and blocks) in just 25.8 minutes.
Beyond his base stats, the Grizzlies went 7-4 in his 11 games, one game in which he exited after just 5 minutes, and it was evident how much he improved the team on both ends of the floor. A healthy Edey gives the Grizzlies a much-needed boost in winning the possession battle and can eventually land on All-Defensive teams.
While the Grizzlies lost both games Edey played in against the Spurs without Wembanyama, he still had a positive plus-minus in both games and made a significant impact despite being minute-restricted. Now, even though Luke Kornet was a great signing for the Spurs, it is worlds different playing against him and arguably the best player in the NBA, Victor Wembanyama.
The Grizzlies have plenty of flexibility to improve the frontcourt
However, Edey has shown against the Spurs and other teams how much gravity he has on both sides of the ball. Edey will be a key piece to any plan to slow down the Spurs and Wembanyama, but building around him is the next step. The Grizzlies adding Cam Boozer to the frontcourt with the #3 pick would make the team way stronger in pick-and-roll and controlling the glass.
Obviously, there has to be some roster consolidation, especially with a guard logjam, but the Grizzlies could also explore picks such as Morez Johnson Jr. or Jayden Quaintance if available at 16. It also would not hurt to add a veteran center via free agency or trade. There are other great teams, but the Grizzlies building around stopping Wembanyama could help them in other matchups.
The Grizzlies should feel great about the draft assets they have and young players such as Cedric Coward and Zach Edey; however, dealing with Victor Wembanyama makes the rebuild way tougher. A lot must go right, but Zach Edey is the key to any plan for overcoming Victor Wembanyama's rapid rise into arguably the league's best player.
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