The Grizzlies were riding high heading into their NBA Cup break as winners of seven of their last nine games. Ja Morant missed their last 10 games, but Zach Edey's return from offseason surgery changed everything for the team in the 11 games he played.
Unfortunately, Ja Morant and Zach Edey only shared the court for six minutes in Edey's return game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on November 15th. Now, with Morant listed as questionable to return for their game against the Utah Jazz on December 12th, Zach Edey was ruled out for at least the next four weeks due to a stress reaction in his surgically repaired left ankle.
Zach Edey's injury was so big that it overshadowed that John Konchar will miss time after he undergoes surgery to repair a UCL tear in his thumb. While Morant's return is still a bright spot for the Grizzlies, missing Zach Edey for another extended stretch places a damper on the momentum they built to climb out of their early-season hole.
Memphis' defense will take a hit without Edey
When he was drafted, one of Zach Edey's primary concerns was whether he could be effective on the defensive end in the NBA's new age of creating space. Well, he spearheaded a struggling Grizzlies team with his return this season and showed that he is a force on the defensive side of the basketball court.
In their last nine games, Memphis ranked 1st in rebounds, 1st NBA opponents' free throws attempted, third in NBA opponent points in the paint, and third in defensive rating. All of those areas were struggle points for the team without Edey in the lineup, and it figures to become their weakness again for the next month.
Also, Zach Edey averaged 16.5 points, 14 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in his last six games after only playing six minutes in their loss to the Denver Nuggets on November 24th due to a migraine. He is also shooting 63.3% from the field on the season, so he will be missed just as much on the offensive end of the court.
Most importantly, Ja Morant struggled mightily without Zach Edey and was expected to regain his touch with a chance to play with the big man again. This news is unfortunate, especially for a team that will still be without Brandon Clarke for at least another two weeks and had Jock Landale playing his best basketball as the backup big man. The Grizzlies are used to dealing with injuries, so they will have to stay afloat while Edey sits for the next month.