1 Grizzlies player deemed key to reclaim 'best in the West' status, and it's not Ja

Following a tumultuous overall campaign, the Memphis Grizzlies find themselves heading into 2024-25 with redemption on their mind and, hopefully, health on their side.

Setting a new league record for most players to have suited up for a ball club in a single season, coach Taylor Jenkins was forced to game plan and scheme up lineups with the likes of Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson Jr., Marcus Smart, and Ja Morant all regularly sidelined.

Now, with all of these aforementioned ballers slated to be back to full strength come October's tip-off, the hope is that Memphis can find a way to pull a 180 and find a more similar turnout to their previous two seasons heading into 2023-24 where they accumulated 107 total regular season wins and earned their franchise's lone two Southwest Division Championships.

However, Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley seems convinced that there's one player, in particular, who should be seen as a contributor that can make the Grizzlies "a sleeping giant in the West," and, surprisingly, it's not Morant.

Instead, the seasoned writer believes this individual to be rookie center, Zach Edey.

Zach Edey viewed as player who can thrust Grizzlies to the top of West

"The Grizzlies could be even better now than they were before, and that's without factoring in the chance of Marcus Smart getting more comfortable after a full offseason with the franchise or all of the young players showing improvement.

The big question on Beale Street, though, is whether No. 9 overall pick Zach Edey is ready to man the middle. He was the best player in men's college basketball each of the past two seasons, but his fit in the more perimeter-oriented NBA remains a question mark.

If Edey holds his own defensively and doesn't spoil the the offensive spacing, the Grizzlies could reclaim their spot among the best in the West."

- Zach Buckley

Despite being limited to just two total outings during this year's Summer League, Edey has seemingly already raised his status as a legitimate difference-maker at the next level, as his debut performance against the Utah Jazz where he dropped 14 points, 15 rebounds, and 4 blocks sparked his stock to skyrocket toward the top of the Rookie of the Year odds ladder board.

Coming into the association fresh off two consecutive AP Player of the Year-winning seasons with the Purdue Boilermakers, the 7-foot-4 behemoth is being looked to as the title-hungry Grizzlies' new franchise pivot to help anchor the paint on both ends of the floor and gobble up second-chance opportunities.

Assuming Morant and Jackson Jr. play at their proven All-Star levels, Bane inches even closer to entering such a stage of his career himself, and those around them such as Smart, GG Jackson, and Vince Williams Jr. play their projected roles to a tee, should Edey put forth the type of contributions he's proven capable of providing both at the collegiate and, now, at the pro level, the rest of the West should be very worried for what the Grizzlies may have in store this coming year.