Zach Edey returned to the Grizzlies' lineup for the first time this season on November 15th against the Cleveland Cavaliers with promising results. He finished with 13 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and two blocks in 25 minutes in their eight-point loss on the road to the Eastern Conference contender.
The team led for most of the game, including holding an eight-point lead going into the fourth quarter before being outscored 32-16 to fall short. Unfortunately, moral victories don't count in the win column, and they fell to 4-10, with additional injuries.
With their regular starting lineup finally intact against Cleveland, Ja Morant left the game in the first quarter and didn't return. He was ruled out with a calf injury and eventually ruled out for at least two weeks with a grade 1 calf strain.
Also, coach Tuomas Iisalo said that Edey and Cedric Coward are both on a minutes restriction due to their separate injuries. With a softer schedule on the horizon to finish out the month of November, the Grizzlies have an opportunity to dig out of their early hole, despite their injury luck with Edey back on the court.
Edey brings exactly what they have been missing
With Edey working himself back from offseason ankle surgery, it was expected that he would be on a minutes restriction when he returned. However, the whole team has felt like they've been on a minutes restriction, as only three players are averaging more minutes than the 25 that Edey played in his return to the lineup.
Iisalo's playing rotation and minutes distribution force the players to push the pace in small bursts, so Edey should remain effective in his shortened minutes. His return should help a team that is ranked in the bottom 10 in offensive and defensive rating to start the season. He immediately made an impact defensively against the Cavaliers' frontcourt, and figures to continue that against a Spurs team missing Victor Wembanyama in their next game.
In their final seven games in November, the Grizzlies will only play two teams with a record of .500 or better, which has been their biggest struggle in the entirety of 2025 (last season included). They are also undefeated against teams below .500 (although the Celtics and Raptors were below .500 at the time the Grizzlies lost).
However, they currently only have one road win this season, and five of their last seven games this month are on the road. With Ja Morant and all Grizzlies point guards out for the foreseeable future, Zach Edey will be depended on to dominate the paint, alongside Jaren Jackson Jr., on both ends of the court to steady the ship for Memphis during this stretch.