The NBA season is beginning for a couple of teams as the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, New Orleans Pelicans, Phoenix Suns, and Philadelphia 76ers all host their media days this week. The rest of the NBA, including the Memphis Grizzlies, will begin hosting their media day and training camp next week.
As the days dwindle for the official start of the new NBA season, ESPN Insiders began to count down the best players in the league for the 2025-26 season. Their top 100 rankings are a yearly tradition, and the Memphis Grizzlies got a somewhat surprising ranking in the initial drop of players ranked 100-51, with starting center Zach Edey.
He didn't make the list last year as he hadn't played a game in the NBA at that time, entering his rookie season, but showed enough during his All-Rookie first team campaign to garner a spot as a top 100 player in the league this year at number 88. With two other Grizzlies expected to crack their next iteration of players ranked 50-11, Edey's ranking solves the Grizzlies' biggest question heading into the season.
Edey is the Grizzlies' third-best player
Trading Desmond Bane in June left the Grizzlies' pecking order up for interpretation as to who will be their third-best player behind Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. Players like Santi Aldama, newcomer Ty Jerome, rookie Cedric Coward, and others were names commonly thrown around, mostly because of their potential scoring threats.
However, Edey received that distinction from the ESPN Insiders, assuming that none of the names above appear in the top 50 of the rankings (not expected). His efficiency as a rookie in a limited role showed glimpses of a player who could become a real force at the center position for years to come in Memphis.
His best production occurred towards the end of his rookie season after new head coach Tuomas Iisalo took over and utilized him more as an on-ball screener. Simultaneously, his use as an on-ball screener caused Ja Morant's production to improve as well, providing confidence that the pairing will do well this season.
Edey is expected to miss some time at the beginning of the regular season as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery. While that will be a blow to the Grizzlies as they look to start hot with a new regime, he is expected to return within the first month of the season or so. If Edey can take the next step to becoming a double-double machine on a nightly basis, the question about their third-best player will be answered emphatically.