Zach Edey Gives Promising Update Amid Injury Recovery

In June, Edey underwent surgery to address laxity in his left ankle, and now the young big man could miss the first couple of months of the 2025-26 NBA season. Last week, the Grizzlies announced that Edey has been "cleared to begin ramping up basketball activities," but his expected return date is not for another six to nine weeks.

During Monday's media day, Edey addressed his decision to go ahead and have surgery during the offseason and gave an update on how he is feeling.

"The timing was unfortunate but it's something I needed to get done," Edey said about the ankle surgery. "That's kind of how I approach it. That's how I've taken it. I've worked all summer to try to get my way back as quick as possible... On the court I've been pretty limited, but in the weight room it's been a good summer."

The Grizzlies are going into the 2025-26 season with a few key injuries, as Edey, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Brandon Clarke are all hurt. Memphis' frontcourt rotation heading into the new season will be very limited, so the Grizzlies are likely prioritizing the health of everyone on the roster moving forward.

Memphis has had poor injury luck over the last two seasons, and they cannot afford to have that limit their success for much longer.

Edey's big sophomore season

Of course, Edey will be sidelined to start the season as he recovers, but he said he was still able to put in a lot of work in the weight room over the summer, which is a very promising sign. During media day, Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo had some praise for Edey heading into this season.

"Generally, bigs take longer to flourish, and he's already on a great growth trajectory," Iisalo said. "Really, he just needs to keep doing the same thing that he's been doing up until this point. He has great focus, he puts the team first, and he's looking to learn new things. Those are our expectations for every player."