Thursday evening, rookie phenom Zach Edey finally returned to the lineup for the Memphis Grizzlies Summer League team following a near-two week hiatus, as he was reportedly nursing an ankle injury sustained during his breakout performance against the Utah Jazz.
From the jump, his comeback showing proved to be similarly as effective as his debut, as he rattled off a quick 6 points and 1 block roughly within the first three minutes of action.
Things seemed to be going well for the big and the ball club until the 3:16 mark in the second period when Edey plummeted to the hardwood after sustaining an awkward landing on his right foot following a shot contest.
Zach Edey heads to the locker room after landing awkwardly on his ankle. pic.twitter.com/ntQ5KuwKKr
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 18, 2024
After grimacing on the floor for a beat, the Grizzlies center ended up walking off the court of his own volition, and, sadly for both him and the fans in attendance, he never returned to the game.
Grizzlies reporter reveals Zach Edey's comments on recent ankle injury
Though seeing the ninth overall selection exit after a mere eight minutes of action in his return bout is an upsetting turn of events to see on its own, Grind City Media's Jessica Benson revealed on her personal X account (previously Twitter) the gut-wrenching proclamation Edey voiced upon initially sustaining the injury.
"F-man, I just want to play."Zach Edey, as transcribed by Benson
For someone of Edey's size, lower body injuries, and, frankly, injuries as a whole are and have always been a concern among coaching staffs and organizations in the NBA. According to a study done by FiveThirtyEight back in 2014, it was revealed that players measuring in at 7-feet or taller "have missed nearly 24 percent of their games."
Because of this unfortunate truth, coupled with the slew of injuries the Grizzlies endured throughout the 2023-24 campaign, it's highly likely that they may play things extra cautious and hold their prized pivot out for the remainder of this year's Summer League tournament, where they are currently 5-2 and, impressively enough, 4-1 in games with Edey sidelined.