Zach Edey's first full offseason as a pro isn't off to the greatest of starts for a player the Grizzlies highlighted as a part of their future core. He suffered his fourth ankle injury in less than a year and had surgery for it that will keep him out until at least October, and likely longer, as expressed by ESPN's Shams Charania.
With him already projected to miss the beginning of next season, the Grizzlies have to address his opening as a starting center this offseason. To add fuel to the fire, Edey was charged with reckless driving after being stopped for driving 101 miles per hour in a 55 miles per hour zone in Indiana back in early May.
If the team wasn't already contemplating adding a starting-level center to the roster as his replacement, that latest news could push them to do exactly that. However, the more pressing issue is his injury and the frequent occurrence of it that has Grizzlies fans worried about his future as an NBA player.
Zach Edey's injuries could linger long-term
Zach Edey is 7'4" and over 300 pounds, so any lower leg injury he suffers will be considered more significant than someone smaller. He came into the league as a player who didn't suffer any injury in college, but immediately suffered an ankle sprain in his first summer league game last summer. After missing a couple of weeks, he suffered another ankle injury in his second and final summer league game.
Ultimately, after playing in the preseason and 14 NBA games to begin his career, he suffered another ankle sprain that sidelined him for 12 games in mid-November before his latest setback. The surgery he had on the recent ankle injury was supposedly to help prevent it in the future, but there are no guarantees.
Players at his height have typically strugglesd to sustain long careers due to lower leg injuries (Yao Ming comes to mind). Edey was draft by the Grizzlies to fill a void and did well during his rookie year as he adjusted to nearly a completely different role than he had in college as a post option. He made NBA All-Rookie first team and played his best down the stretch of the regular season.
The team has a decision this offseason to replace his position as the starter and utilize him as a backup, obtain a temporary solution until he returns, or move on from him completely. While that last option might seem extreme so soon, the pressure to contend is real, and waiting on a player who could be liable for additional concerns long-term on the injury front could scare them off from waiting to see.